Senior Iranian clerics have publicly called for the assassination of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing it as a religious duty that must not be neglected. The statement, issued by members of the Assembly of Experts, a powerful clerical body responsible for selecting and overseeing Iran’s supreme leader, labeled both leaders as "mahdour al-dam," meaning deserving of death.
The declaration came amid an ongoing, fragile peace effort between Washington and Tehran following a conflict that erupted on February 28, initiated by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending hostilities and allowed a 60-day period to negotiate a permanent truce while addressing contentious issues such as Iran’s nuclear program. However, the agreement has faced significant challenges, including reciprocal attacks in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and continued Israeli military actions in Lebanon.
In their statement, the clerics cited avenging the blood of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader who was reportedly killed on the first day of the conflict, as a paramount motivation for their call to action. They urged any individual capable of carrying out assassinations against Trump and Netanyahu to do so, framing it as an obligatory act. Despite the strongly worded message, the language stopped short of a formal fatwa, which in Shia Islam is traditionally issued by a single cleric rather than a collective body.
The Assembly of Experts, which comprises 88 members, revealed internal divisions over the statement. Only 63 members signed the declaration, and the Assembly's secretariat officially distanced itself from the call. The group's bases in the cities of Qom and Tehran had been targeted during the conflict, with Iranian officials claiming the attacks were intended to disrupt the Assembly’s role in appointing Khamenei’s successor. In a subsequent, largely private meeting, Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son, was chosen to assume that role.
Alongside the assassination demand, the clerics criticized ongoing peace negotiations, warning that the United States might be using the talks to buy time to rearm. They emphasized that unresolved issues identified in the memorandum of understanding must be addressed within the specified 30- and 60-day deadlines. The statement also condemned the recent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a "strategic error," while Israel continued airstrikes in Lebanon. The clerics further insisted that Iran’s nuclear rights should remain off the negotiating table.
This is not the first instance linking Iran to threats against President Trump. Earlier in 2024, U.S. intelligence agencies reported uncovering an Iranian plot to assassinate the president, which Washington said was intended to avenge the 2020 killing of General Qassim Soleimani, former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force. Authorities ultimately found no connection between that plot and a subsequent attack in Pennsylvania, in which Trump was wounded by a lone gunman during a campaign rally.