A new movement in Iran claims to have raised more than $40 million online as a bounty for the assassination of President Donald Trump after fatwas, or religious decrees, issued against him by senior clerics of the Islamic regime.
Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, Iran's top Shiite cleric, and Grand Ayatollah Hossein Noori Hamedani issued fatwas against Trump after the U.S. bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities last month, citing alleged threats against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and that anyone who works with the U.S. and Israel is an "enemy of Allah."
Shirazi proclaimed that any "Muslims of the world" who successfully assassinate Trump or Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be deemed "warriors of Allah" and "receive blessings."
The fatwas prompted the creation of an organization called the "Blood Covenant," which claims to have raised nearly $40.3 million for Trump's assassination, The Washington Free Beacon reported Friday, citing an analysis by the Middle East Media Research Institute, which monitors jihadi movements in the region.
The Blood Covenant operates "under the aegis of the Iranian regime" and poses a substantial threat to Trump given Tehran's resources and coordination on the matter, according to MEMRI.
"The fact that these calls to assassinate Trump are coming from above and being echoed in the street and through all strata of society, including in the Iranian media, underlines the depth and uniformity of the regime's institutional incitement," MEMRI wrote in its analysis. "It reflects a broad religious and regime consensus strengthened by reiterated emphasis of the reward anyone carrying out the punishment against Trump can expect to receive — in addition to the $40.3 million, also Paradise and the status of a defender of Islam."
The Blood Covenant published a poster on its website — which the state-run Fars News Agency republished — depicting Trump in crosshairs and an award of up to $40 million for his assassination, the Free Beacon reported.
An English-language caption read: "We pledge to award the prize to whoever can bring the militants and those who threaten the life of the Deputy of Imam Mahdi [may our souls be sacrificed for him] to justice for their actions. THIS CAMPAIN IS NOT FUNDING TERRORISM IT IS FUNDING THE FIGHT AGAINST US STATE TERRORISM."
Iranian religious figures at the Howza-e Ilmiyya seminary in Qom offered support for the fatwas on Trump, saying July 2 that the president's "blood is permitted," the Free Beacon reported.
"All the cells of the resistance, all the Muslims in the Islamic world, and even those in the Western countries are obligated to implement the ruling concerning muharebs [declared enemies of God and Islam] against Netanyahu, against the plundering State of Israel, against U.S. President, and against the U.S. government," Amin Asadpour, a lecturer at the seminary, said in a July 1 speech translated by MEMRI.
Newsmax reached out to the White House for comment.
"The U.S. Secret Service operates in a heightened and very dynamic threat environment and the safety and security of the President and all of our protectees remains our highest priority," Secret Service spokesperson Alexi Worley told Newsmax. "To preserve operational integrity, we cannot comment on specific protective intelligence matters. However, our teams work around the clock with international, federal, state and local partners to ensure the highest levels of protection."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.