Iran’s Religious Establishment Declares Jihad Against President Trump

In his interview with Tucker Carlson on July 7, 2025, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkiyan, when asked about the fatwa issued by two Iranian grand ayatollahs in late June calling for Trump’s assassination, said that they “have not issued any decrees or fatwas against any individual or against Donald Trump” and that “first of all, this has nothing to do with the Iranian government or with His Eminence, the Supreme Leader,” according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

Pezeshkian went on to say that “what they actually meant by fatwa was a condemnation of the insult to religion or religious figures. And they actually said that it was deplorable and unacceptable. So it was not directed at the US president or any other person… I can assure you that the content of this fatwa should not be interpreted or considered as a threat to any individual.”

However, in recent days, there have been increasing calls in Iran for Trump’s assassination by the religious establishment of the Iranian regime, allegedly because of Trump’s threat to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — although Trump has stated that he actually prevented such a move.

These calls, backed by fatwas, were issued in late June by Iran’s grand ayatollahs. The fatwa stated that the punishment for Trump is the same as for muharib — that is, an enemy of Allah and Islam — which is death and permission to spill his blood.

Iranian regime officials, including members of the Assembly of Experts, close associates of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior clerics and seminary teachers, as well as the regime’s Friday preachers, are openly calling for Trump’s assassination.

The regime’s religious elite has also called on young Muslims and “centers of resistance” around the world to carry out this fatwa, presenting the fight against Trump as a religious duty that will be richly rewarded, including with entry into Paradise. In addition, a new movement in Iran called the “Bloody Testament,” announced under the auspices of the Iranian regime, claims to have raised nearly $40.3 million for Trump’s assassination at the time of this writing.

The “Bloody Testament” operates “under the auspices of the Iranian regime” and poses a significant threat to Trump, given Tehran’s resources and coordination on this issue, according to MEMRI, which monitors jihadist movements in the region.

“The fact that these calls for Trump’s assassination are coming from the top and echoing in the streets and across all segments of society, including the Iranian media, underscores the depth and uniformity of the regime’s institutional incitement,” MEMRI writes in its analysis. “This reflects a broad religious consensus and regime consensus, reinforced by repeated emphasis on the rewards that await anyone who carries out punishment against Trump — in addition to $40.3 million, as well as paradise and the status of defender of Islam.”

The “Blood Covenant” movement began on July 4 with a mission to defend the “jurisprudential leader” — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The state-controlled Fars news agency, an affiliate of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, initially broadcast the “Blood Covenant” message.

A senior State Department official told the Washington Free Beacon that the Trump administration is aware of these threats and is seeking to “bring the perpetrators to justice.”

“This means using all the tools at our disposal, including sanctions, to implement the president’s strategy of maximum pressure,” the senior official continued.

The “bloody testament” published a poster on its website, which was republished by the Fars news agency, depicting Trump in the crosshairs and offering a reward of up to $40 million for his assassination. “Fight with your wealth and your lives in the cause of Allah [jihad],” the poster reads, quoting a verse from the Quran.

The website, registered to a domain inside the Islamic Republic, called on supporters to “bring this criminal Trump to justice” for his alleged threats against Khamenei.

Gabriel Noronha, a former State Department adviser on Iran policy, told the Free Beacon that the bounty on Trump’s head requires a swift and decisive response from the United States.

“I hope the Trump administration will not allow this dangerous rhetoric to go unchallenged, as Biden has done,” he said. ”Threats against President Trump and his team must be taken seriously and met with a response. An appropriate response would be to close the Iranian Interests Section in Washington, D.C., or consider kinetic action against the regime’s military headquarters.”