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Mint
3 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Fatwa against Donald Trump? Shia cleric's ‘red line' on US president for ‘threatening' Iran's Supreme leader Khamenei
An Iranian cleric, Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, a senior Marja in the Shia hierarchy, has declared that anyone who harms Ayatollah Khamenei deserves the death penalty. His statement came in response to a question regarding US President Donald Trump's increasingly aggressive rhetoric towards Iran's Supreme Leader, following the recent 12-day conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. According to Tehran Times, in a written note, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi has declared, 'Any regime or individual threatening the leaders of the Islamic Ummah and acting on those threats qualifies as a Muharib.' Under Shia Islamic jurisprudence, a 'Muharib' is defined as someone who wages armed rebellion, terrorism, violent crimes, or other unlawful acts that spread fear and disorder in society. The prescribed punishment for such offenses is death. Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi's remarks are being interpreted as a "Fatwa," a religious edict, the Tehran Times report added. Iran's Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani and Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani have published similar statements seen as Fatwas. 1. Accusation of Defeat and Denial of Iran's Victory Claims Donald Trump publicly challenged Khamenei's claim that Iran had emerged victorious over Israel and the US, calling it a 'lie' and bluntly stating, 'You got beat to hell.' He accused Khamenei of spreading falsehoods about the war's outcome, insisting that Iran's military and nuclear capabilities were severely damaged by U.S. strikes. Trump repeatedly asserted that US forces had 'obliterated' three key Iranian nuclear facilities (Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz) during the conflict. He insisted these strikes dealt a devastating blow to Iran's nuclear ambitions, despite some intelligence reports suggesting only a temporary setback. In a striking admission, Donald Trump revealed that he knew exactly where Khamenei was sheltering during the conflict and deliberately prevented Israeli and US forces from killing him, stating, 'I saved him from a very ugly and ignominious death.' Trump lamented that Khamenei did not 'thank' him for sparing his life. Donald Trump warned that the US would 'definitely' strike Iran again if Tehran resumed uranium enrichment or nuclear activities that posed a threat. He did not rule out future military action against Iran's nuclear sites if necessary. Trump disclosed that he was working on removing sanctions against Iran to aid its recovery but immediately dropped all efforts after Khamenei's 'statement of anger, hatred, and disgust.' He criticised Khamenei's tone and called it 'blatant and foolish,' blaming it for the collapse of potential diplomatic progress. Trump warned Iran that unless it 'gets back into the world order flow,' conditions would worsen for the country, describing it as 'a burned out, blown up country, with no future, a decimated military, a horrible economy and death all around them.' He urged the Iranian leadership to adopt a more conciliatory approach, saying, 'you often get more with honey than you do with vinegar.' Trump revealed that he ordered Israeli planes to turn back from a planned 'biggest attack of the war,' which he said would have caused significant Iranian casualties. He claimed to have restrained Israel from delivering a 'final knockout' blow to Iran. A Fatwa is an interpretation of Islamic law issued by a Marja. It is binding for all Muslims, meaning that even if Islamic governments are not able to act on it, individual Muslims should ensure its enforcement. A well-known example of states failing to act on a Fatwa, prompting individual Muslims to take matters into their own hands, is the case of Salman Rushdie. On February 14, 1989, Imam Khameini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, issued a historic Fatwa calling for the execution of Salman Rushdie, the British-Indian author of The Satanic Verses, a novel filled with blasphemy against Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). The fatwa stated: "I inform the proud Muslim people of the world that the author of The Satanic Verses book, which is against Islam, the Prophet, and the Quran, and all those involved in its publication who were aware of its content, are sentenced to death. I call on all zealous Muslims to execute them quickly, wherever they find them." Rushdie was forced into hiding immediately after the fatwa was issued. He was placed under 24/7 British police protection and lived in safe houses for nearly a decade. In 1989, a bomb exploded at a London hotel where Rushdie was scheduled to speak. Over three decades after the Fatwa was issued, when Rushdie emerged from hiding and began living more openly, the threat had not faded, contrary to his and the police's expectations. In 2022, Rushdie was stabbed on stage in New York by an attacker allegedly acting on the Fatwa. He has since retreated back into seclusion.
France 24
24-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
No definite proof for Iran's claims it shot down Israeli F-35 fighter jets
Since Israel's offensive against Iran began in the early hours of June 13, Israel has been circulating photos of its fighter jets flying towards Iran to destroy its nuclear sites and arsenal of ballistic missiles. The evening the offensive began, the Tehran Times, a media outlet with close links to the Iranian regime, announced that "an Israeli pilot' had been 'captured' and that Israel had said that two of its fighter planes had been shot down. The Iranian press agency Tasnim News, which has close links to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, reported the same story, this time claiming that the pilot who had been captured was a woman. 'Iran downs fourth Israeli F-35' Press TV, a television outlet controlled by the Iranian regime, reported that Iran had become the "first country to shoot down fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets'. This US-built fighter jet is considered one of the most effective in the world and is especially known for its stealth. Israel was quick to deny these claims through their Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee, who denounced "fake Iranian media outlets that spread baseless lies'. In the days that followed, Iranian media outlets continued to share what they said was a count of how many F-35 fighter jets the Iranian army had shot down. Press TV published an article on June 15 claiming that a third F-35 had been destroyed, explaining how the Iranian air defence system had managed to hit one of these planes. A day later, a headline in the Tehran Times read 'Iran downs 4th Israeli F-35'. "According to Tasnim news agency, the aircraft was identified by Iranian air defence systems stationed in the area and was successfully targeted with a precision-guided missile,' the article reads. These allegations aim to refute Israel's announcement of "full aerial superiority" in the early days of the attack. That declaration came after the Israeli army largely destroyed Iran's air defences, a stated objective of their military operation. 'There is no proof that Iran downed Israeli F-35s' However, for the time being, there is no proof confirming these claims. While anonymous sources apparently told the Tehran Times that Iran picked up debris from the F-35, the Iranian army hasn't shared any authenticated images, photos, or videos. No information was released about the identity of the pilot allegedly captured, though Iran claimed to have captured two. The FRANCE 24 Observers team spoke with Janes Intelligence, a military analysis company that works with open-source data, which said that 'there is no evidence that Iran has shot down any Israeli F-35s'. Pierre Razoux, the academic director at the Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Studies (FMES) and author of a study looking at 'the challenges of air superiority over the Middle East', is also sceptical about Iran's claims. He says that these losses are 'extremely unlikely, especially without photos. If it were true, Iran would be hurrying to unveil the photos'. Iran's air defence system: 'not the most modern' Several military experts interviewed agree with this assessment and say that it is unlikely that Iran's anti-aircraft defence systems could have reached the Israeli F-35s. "It's really hard to destroy an F-35 because it is made not to be detected,' says Jean-Christophe Noël, a former fighter pilot and a researcher with the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), highlighting that the F-35 is built for 'stealth'. "That doesn't mean that it is unstoppable,' he added. 'But it turns out that it is stealthy enough that Iran's surface-to-air missile batteries failed, batteries which are not the most modern.' Another expert agrees with this analysis. "To down a stealth aircraft, first you have to detect it in certain bands of frequency, then transmit its position to other radar to guide a missile: that requires a complex coordination that the Iranian army has not mastered, all the more so because Israel weakened its air defence system,' says Etienne Marcuz with the Fondation pour la recherche stratégique (Foundation for Strategic Research), who was interviewed by the fact-checking team of French daily Libération's CheckNews. While Israel has almost complete control of the Iranian airspace, the F-35s are protected against eventual attacks by the Iranian air fleet, which is also outdated compared to the Israeli army, according to these two experts. Against this information war backdrop, a number of fake images that apparently show downed F-35 planes have been circulating online. Accounts known to criticise Israel started to share images of debris they said came from an F-35 downed in the Iranian desert, starting on June 13. We ran these images through a reverse image search (see our handy guide to find out how you can do it, too) and discovered that the photos did indeed show a F-35 crash, but it took place in May 2024 in New Mexico in the United States, as shown by articles from the time. Accounts also circulated images taken from video games, claiming that they showed a downed F-35. A post in Arabic that garnered more than 6 million views on X used a clip from a video game uploaded to YouTube in May 2025. You can see the scene 34 seconds into the video when a fighter plane gets shot by anti-aircraft defence. Another photo that allegedly showed a downed F-35 was broadcast on Iranian television on June 14 and picked up by a number of pro-Iran accounts that shared it widely across social media, especially Facebook. However, this photo, which was likely generated by artificial intelligence, actually shows a fighter jet that doesn't have some of the characteristics of an Israeli F-35. The fins at the back of the plane, for example, seem to be facing the opposite direction to the F-35. Moreover, the symbol of the Israeli army – the Star of David – appears at the back of the jet in this image, though it is on the front of the Israeli F-35s. Moreover, the ground doesn't seem to be damaged at all, even though the plane is still on fire. Another image said to show an Israeli fighter jet crashed in the desert was also widely circulated and was even shared by a number of Arabic-language media outlets like Gaza Now, whose post was viewed more than two million times. However, a number of social media users mocked this image, which was likely generated by AI, because certain details such as the jet's engine don't match the real F-35, but the real issue is the size of the downed jet as compared to the people around it. It looks huge in the image, whereas in reality, an F-35 is only about 15 metres long and six metres wide.
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'What is certain is that...': Iran says Russia supported airstrikes on US base in Qatar as Trump announces ceasefire
Iran says Russian defense minister Andrey Belousov (in photo) called Iran counterpart and extended support after Iran's attack on US base in Qatar. Iranian defence minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh claimed Russia extended its support after Iran's strike on US base in Qatar, which US President Donald Trump dismissed as a 'coordinated' attack and announced a ceasefire. Iran media reported that Russian defence minister Andrey Belousov condemned Israel's "unprovoked aggression" and declared "unequivocal support" for Iran's people. "What is certain is that we are not fighting solely the Zionist regime; the US and several other nations back this entity. Our decision remains firm: We will punish the aggressor with all our might, and we reject any imposed peace," Nasirzadesh was quoted as saying by Tehran Times. "Their true aim is weakening the Islamic Republic and spreading chaos throughout the region. Russia monitors all developments and will support Iran," Russian defense minister Andrey Belousov said. Trump has already threatened Russia after former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said future production of nuclear weapons will continue, as a number of countries are ready to supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ductless Air Conditioners Are Selling Like Crazy [See Why] Keep Cool Click Here Undo "Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the 'N word' (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran?" Trump wrote. "Did he really say that or, is it just a figment of my imagination? If he did say that, and, if confirmed, please let me know, IMMEDIATELY," he added. Trump announced a ceasefire and blamed both Israel and Iran for violating it. 'ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly 'Plane Wave' to Iran,' he wrote on Truth Social. 'Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!' he said, with his now-trademark sign off: 'Thank you for your attention to this matter! ' 'Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and dropped a boatload of bombs the likes of which I've never seen before. The biggest load that we've seen, I'm not happy with Israel,' Trump said earlier. 'Ok, when I say now you have 12 hours, you don't go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them. So, I'm not happy with him. I'm not happy with Iran either,' the president added.
News18
24-06-2025
- Politics
- News18
Moment When Order To Strike US' Al-Udeid Airbase In Qatar Was Issued By Iran
Last Updated: The moment when the order was issued to strike Al-Udeid Airbase in Qatar was recorded from the IRGC operations room. In a major retaliation against the United States, Iran on Monday targeted the Al-Udeid base in Qatar — an American air base in the country. The moment when the order was issued to strike Al-Udeid Airbase in Qatar was recorded from the IRGC operations room. The Tehran Times, released the video in which officials can be seen issuing the order. Iran announced attacks on state television. A caption on the screen called it 'a mighty and successful response by the armed forces of Iran to America's aggression". However, Qatar condemned the attack on Al Udeid Air Base. It later informed that the country successfully intercepted the missiles, and no casualties were reported. Meanwhile, defenders intercepting Iranian missiles in Qatar are going viral on social media. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump confirmed that the ceasefire between Israel and Iran has officially come into effect, urging both sides to honour the agreement and not violate it. Earlier, the US President in a late-night post outlined that the ceasefire would unfold in two phases over a 24-hour period starting at approximately 0400 GMT on Tuesday. Shortly after Trump's announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied that a formal ceasefire agreement had been reached. 'As of now, there is NO 'agreement' on ceasefire or cessation of military operations," Araghchi posted. First Published:
The Print
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
From Kheibarshekan to Sejjil, a look at Iran's missile arsenal as conflict with Israel escalates
In a statement carried by the Tehran Times on Sunday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched 40 Kheibarshekan missiles for the first time as part of Operation True Promise 3, describing them as 'third-generation solid and liquid-fuelled ballistic missiles featuring multiple warheads and advanced terminal guidance systems'. Notably, for the first time, Iran deployed the Kheibarshekan missile, its most advanced homegrown ballistic weapon, indicating a new phase of escalation. New Delhi: Air raid sirens continued to sound over Jerusalem Monday amid an ongoing barrage of ballistic missiles from Iran. Sunday's salvo targeted Ben Gurion Airport, a biological research centre and multiple military command sites. 'The core of Iran's military capability remains unutilised and future responses will be even more decisive,' IRGC added in the statement. The missile strikes came just hours after the United States launched coordinated strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites namely Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, signalling Washington's direct military entry into the conflict. Just over ten days ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, striking key Iranian nuclear sites, and assassinating senior military officials and nuclear scientists. In retaliation, Iran began Operation True Promise, now in its third phase, marked by the mass deployment of ballistic missiles and drones aimed at overwhelming Israeli air defences through sheer volume and sustained pressure. Since then, several Iranian missiles have breached Israeli defences. It is widely reported that Iran's strategy hinges on overwhelming air defence systems through sheer volume, launching large salvos of ballistic missiles and drones simultaneously to saturate air defence systems like the Iron Dome, David's Sling and Arrow-3. Even highly advanced systems can struggle to cope with such massed attacks, allowing some missiles to slip through and reach their targets. Kheibarshekan deployed for first time According to Iranian state media agency IRNA, the Kheibarshekan (meaning 'castle-breaker') missile is a third-generation system in the Khorramshahr ballistic missile family. It has an estimated range of 1,450 kilometers, placing most of Israel well within reach. Iran claims the missile can carry a 1,500 kg high-explosive warhead and features terminal guidance powered by satellite navigation, contributing to its reported high accuracy. The missile is widely reported to be derived from North Korea's Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), which has a theoretical range of 2,500 to 4,000 kilometers. Analysts at the American think tank, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) suggest Iran may be underreporting the Kheibarshekan's true range, either due to design changes that prioritise tactical mobility or to avoid provoking Europe. 'I think they don't want to upset the Europeans,' one US official told Fox News. The missile uses a local liquid-fuel engine which is built into the fuel tank to reduce size and increase concealment. It is launched from mobile platforms and reportedly can be readied within 15 minutes. Its three-stage operation includes flight, in-flight mid-course maneuvering by rear engines and a final atmospheric re-entry guided by secondary engines. Further, Iran claims it maintains speeds exceeding Mach 8 (approximately 10,000 km/hour) during the terminal phase, making interception by systems like Patriot or David's Sling exceedingly difficult. Physically, the missile is approximately 13 meters long, 1.5 to 2 meters in diameter, and weighs between 19,000 and 26,000 kilograms at launch. While Iran describes it as having 'multiple warheads', it is widely reported that this refers to submunitions or Multiple Re-entry Vehicle (MRV) payload rather than true MIRV (Multiple Independently targetable Re-entry Vehicle) technology. Cluster munitions vs MIRV vs MRV On Thursday, Israeli officials in an email to news agency Reuters claimed that one missile fired by Iran carried a cluster bomb warhead, scattering dozens of unexploded bomblets over a civilian area near central Israel. Cluster munitions are designed to increase area damage by dispersing many small submunitions or 'bomblets' over a wide radius. However, they are inaccurate and notorious for high 'dud rates' (failure to function as intended), between 10 percent and 40 percent, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, posing long-term risks to civilians. On the other hand, the MIRV warhead system is far more sophisticated. MIRV-equipped missiles carry several independently guided re-entry vehicles, each capable of striking a different target with high precision. Once the missile reaches space, an internal 'bus' manoeuvres to release each warhead on a separate trajectory. So far, despite wide claims, no Iranian missile has been confirmed to have MIRV capability, the closest Iran has demonstrated is MRV (Multiple Re-entry Vehicle) systems, which release multiple warheads aimed in the same general area but without individual target guidance. Iran's broader ballistic missile inventory According to a report by UK-based think tank Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), Iran has drawn from a broad range of its ballistic missile arsenal in the ongoing conflict, combining both older and newer platforms. Among the systems reportedly used are short-range solid-fuel missiles such as the Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar, capable of striking targets up to 700 kilometres away with high accuracy and rapid launch times. The paper also points to the deployment of Raad-500 and Dezful missiles, part of Iran's newer generation of precision-guided solid-fuel systems. The Raad-500 is among the newer-generation solid-fuel missiles. It builds on the design of the Fateh-110 but uses carbon composite materials to reduce structural weight and radar signature. This design improvement also extends its range to approximately 500 kilometers. The Raad-500 is equipped with a manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle (MaRV), which enhances its ability to evade interception in the terminal phase. The Dezful missile, unveiled in 2019, is also an extended-range derivative of the Zolfaghar. It reportedly has a range of up to 1,000 kilometers and is road-mobile, allowing for flexible launch options. Dezful is reported to carry a 600–700 kg warhead and uses solid propellant for quicker launch times and better battlefield survivability. Short-range systems, such as the Zolfaghar and Fateh-110, have also been reportedly employed in the on-going conflict. These solid-fuel missiles are known for their relatively high accuracy and rapid deployment capability, with ranges of approximately 300 to 700 kilometers. Among medium-range platforms, the Shahab-3, a liquid-fuel missile with an estimated range of 1,300 kilometers, has long been a cornerstone of Iran's arsenal. Its more advanced variant, the Ghadr-110, extends the range up to 2,000 kilometers and includes improvements in mobility and targeting. The Sejjil missile, by contrast, is a two-stage, solid-fuel MRBM with a similar range of up to 2,000 kilometers with a reduced vulnerability to pre-emptive strikes due to its fuel type and mobile launch capabilities. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: Iran has fewer options & more risks than before. Its choices will affect all of Middle East
