Iran parliament says attack on Supreme Leader Khamenei would trigger 'jihad'

Iran’s Parliamentary Commission on National Security has warned that any attack on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be considered a declaration of war against the entire Muslim world.

According to a statement quoted by a British news agency, the commission said that if Iran’s Supreme Leader were targeted, a religious decree for jihad would be issued, triggering reactions from what it described as “soldiers of Islam” across the world.

The warning comes after remarks made last week by a former US ambassador to Israel, who claimed that US president Donald Trump could attempt to have Ayatollah Khamenei assassinated.

The ambassador said that Iran’s Supreme Leader is now 86 years old and reportedly unwell, arguing that Iran requires new leadership at this stage. In a separate post on social media platform X, the former envoy also claimed that a large US naval fleet would soon be present in the Middle East, which he said would both facilitate an attack on Iran and strengthen defensive preparations in the event of an Iranian response.

The remarks surfaced amid heightened tensions after Iran’s Supreme Leader alleged that the US president was involved in acts of violence, protests and killings inside Iran.