Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, the interim Friday-prayer leader in Tehran and a member of Iran’s Guardian Council, declared during his sermon on 4 July that Islamic law requires the execution of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Khatami, the two leaders are “corrupt on earth” and “waging war against God,” offences that can carry the death penalty under Iran’s penal code. Khatami accused Washington and Jerusalem of threatening Iran’s Supreme Leader and described the stance as “foolish.” He invoked the recent 12-day conflict involving Israel to justify his comments, saying the episode showed continued hostility toward the Islamic Republic. Iran’s government has not formally endorsed Khatami’s statement, and there was no immediate reaction from U.S. or Israeli officials. The remarks add to already high regional tensions as Tehran’s clerical establishment confronts U.S. sanctions and Israel’s military actions.