Iran’s most senior religious figures have issued a shocking call for the assassination of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging supporters to kill the two leaders in what they described as a religious duty.
Members of Iran’s powerful Assembly of Experts declared that the deaths of the two leaders “must not be neglected under any circumstances”, accusing them of responsibility for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei during the opening day of the conflict.
In a 10-point statement, the clerics said: “Any duty-bound person who gains access to these criminals” should send them “to hell” — language that amounts to a direct incitement to violence, although the group stopped short of issuing a formal religious decree, or fatwa.
The extraordinary threat comes at a critical moment for the region, just days after Washington and Tehran agreed a memorandum of understanding designed to create a pathway towards ending the Middle East conflict.
The agreement established a 60-day negotiating window covering a possible ceasefire and the future of Iran’s nuclear programme. But hopes of a lasting deal have already been undermined by renewed tensions, including disputes around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy routes.
Iran has insisted it must retain control over shipping movements through the waterway and has suggested it could impose future charges on vessels passing through the strait — a move rejected by the United States and several Gulf states.
The dispute escalated after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned international shipping companies against using routes outside what it called the “Route of Authority”, threatening “irreparable incidents” for vessels that ignored its instructions.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts continued in Qatar, where US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner joined talks with Iranian representatives and regional mediators.
The latest threats have cast a shadow over negotiations, raising fears that hardliners inside Tehran could derail attempts at diplomacy.
The Assembly of Experts, an 88-member body responsible for selecting Iran’s supreme leader, holds significant religious and political influence. While its statement does not carry the same weight as a formal fatwa issued by a senior cleric, the language marks a dramatic escalation in rhetoric against Washington and Jerusalem.
With the ceasefire already under strain, fears are growing that a single incident in the Gulf or a breakdown in negotiations could trigger a wider confrontation across the Middle East.
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