Iraq’s top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Sistani, has issued an unusually stern warning against any attempt to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, cautioning that such an act would plunge the Middle East into irreversible turmoil.
Breaking his long-standing avoidance of political discourse, the revered cleric issued a rare statement from the holy city of Najaf on Thursday, urging restraint in response to escalating rhetoric from Israel and the United States.
“Any such illegal, irreligious, and immoral move would drive the situation out of control and foment widespread chaos, increasing the suffering of nations in the region and seriously jeopardising the interests of all stakeholders,” Sistani said.
The cleric’s comments follow Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz’s provocative remarks during a visit to a hospital near a missile-hit site in Tel Aviv, where he declared: “The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will do everything they can to eliminate the Iranian leader.”
Also read: Iran attacks Israel with cluster bomb missiles on Day 8 of war
Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also appeared to endorse such an outcome, while US President Donald Trump weighed in with a mixed message, stating that the United States would not kill Iran’s Supreme Leader “for now” but warned Tehran to offer “unconditional surrender”, hinting at possible military action.
Sistani’s statement also included an appeal to the international community to halt Israeli aggression against Iran “before things get out of control”. He emphasised the importance of avoiding further escalation that could destabilise the broader region.
Adding to the tension, Iraq’s influential Fatah Alliance, led by Hadi al-Amiri, warned that a religious decree, or fatwa, could soon be issued by Sistani should hostilities continue.
Senior alliance figure Ali al-Fatlawi, cited by the Shafaq News Agency, stated: “An attack on Ayatollah Khamenei would be tantamount to an attack on Islam itself.”
Sistani’s last call for jihad was issued in 2014 during the rise of ISIS, when he urged Iraqis to take up arms. The resulting mobilisation gave rise to the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a powerful paramilitary coalition that remains influential in Iraq’s political and security landscape.
Follow us
