Key Highlights
- The announcement came amid intense regional upheaval and public mourning across Iran, where crowds have taken to the streets following the attack that killed the Islamic Republic’s top authority.
- Top clerics issue religious orders for retaliation State media reported that Makarem Shirazi described retribution for Khamenei’s death as a “religious duty”, urging Muslims to “eradicate the evil of these criminals from the world.” Another senior figure, Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani, issued his own fatwa demanding that Muslims “avenge the blood” of the fallen leader.
- According to Mehr News Agency, Makarem Shirazi declared that jihad against the United States and Israel was required, stating that “avenging the blood of the martyred leader is a religious duty for Muslims around the world.” Joint US–Israeli strikes kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei, 86, was killed during a major aerial assault launched by the United States and Israel on 28 February, in what officials described as a sweeping campaign targeting Iranian state and military infrastructure.
- The attack marked a dramatic escalation in long-running tensions between Tehran and Washington, coming only months after a previous round of American strikes linked to nuclear negotiations.
- Donald Trump announced Khamenei’s death before Iranian state media did, describing the moment as Iranians’ “greatest chance” to “take back” their country.
