Two of Iran’s most senior Shiite clerics, Grand Ayatollahs Naser Makarem Shirazi and Hosein Noori Hamedani, issued separate fatwas on 29–30 June declaring that any insult, threat or aggression against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei constitutes waging “war against God.” Under Iran’s Sharia-based penal code, those labelled mohareb (enemy of God) can face the death penalty. The edicts do not name individuals but were prompted by recent public remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggesting Khamenei could be targeted. Shirazi called on Muslims worldwide to make such foes “regret their words and actions,” while cleric Alireza Panahian, speaking from the Supreme Leader’s office, amplified the message on 30 June. Human-rights lawyers in Tehran warn the fatwas, coupled with a bill moving through parliament that broadens national-security offenses to ‘corruption on earth,’ could give courts wider scope to imprison or execute dissidents. ABC News reports growing concern that judges may invoke the rulings when statutory language is ambiguous. Washington has previously accused Tehran of plotting to assassinate Trump and other former officials in revenge for the 2020 killing of General Qasem Soleimani. The new fatwas have heightened U.S. security alerts ahead of the 4 July holiday, although they stop short of explicitly ordering attacks on the American president.