Iran parliament says attack on Khamenei would trigger 'jihad'
Iran’s parliamentary national security commission said any attack on the country’s supreme leader would amount to a declaration of war on the Muslim world, state media reported on Tuesday.
“Any affront to the Supreme Leader means a declaration of war against the entire Islamic world and should expect the issuance of jihad rulings by Islamic scholars and a response from the soldiers of Islam across the globe,” the commission said in a statement.
The commission went on to describe Trump as “mentally unstable” and said the US president should face retaliation for what it called the killing of Qassem Soleimani and “thousands of innocent people in Iran.”
The comments came as tensions rose following remarks by US President Donald Trump about Iran’s leadership.
Separately, senior Iranian military official Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi issued a warning to Washington.
“If a hand is raised against our leader, we will cut it off,” Shekarchi was quoted as saying by Iranian media, adding that Iran would leave “no safe place” for its enemies.
Trump recently called Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei a “sick man” and said it was time for new leadership in Iran.
