‘Avenge the blood’: Iran’s top clerics issue fatwa to Muslims worldwide after Khamenei deaths

Two of Iran’s most senior Shiite clerics have called on Muslims worldwide to avenge the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, escalating rhetoric days after his death in joint US-Israeli strikes.According to CNN citing Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, 99, issued an order urging Muslims to wage jihad against the United States and Israel. Click for live updatesHe said Khamenei’s revenge is the “religious duty of all Muslims in the world to eradicate the evil of these criminals from the world.”Tasnim also reported that another senior cleric, Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani, issued a fatwa declaring an obligation for all Muslims to “avenge the blood” of Khamenei.The statements come amid heightened tensions in the region following US-Israeli airstrikes in Iran that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and several senior military commanders. Tehran has since launched retaliatory strikes, while Gulf states and global powers have called for restraint to prevent further escalation.Fatwas issued by senior clerics in Iran carry religious weight among followers, though their political and operational impact can vary depending on the broader response from state institutions and allied groups.Iran has named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi as its interim Supreme Leader, a successor to Khamenei and declared a period of national mourning.