Latest news with #UANI
Fox News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump targeted by Iranian death fatwas as watchdog group demands immediate sanctions response
FIRST ON FOX - A new report by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is urging the U.S. government to impose sanctions on senior Iranian clerics and regime-controlled institutions that have issued or promoted Islamic legal rulings — known as fatwas — calling for the torture and assassination of President Donald Trump, other American citizens and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The fatwas invoke the Islamic charge of mohareb — "waging war against God" — a term in Iran's penal code that mandates brutal punishments, including crucifixion and cross-amputation, under the regime's interpretation of Sharia law. "Today UANI is exposing the individuals and entities in Iran hiding behind religion to foment terrorism abroad. Threats against the president of the United States and other Americans are a federal crime. Each of these individuals and entities should be sanctioned, indicted, and banned from travel, along with their families, to the United States and its allies," a joint statement by former Gov. Jeb Bush, UANI's chairman, and Ambassador Mark Wallace, its CEO and former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. for Management and Reform, told Fox News in a statement. "The last fatwa against another American citizen, Salman Rushdie, almost cost him his life, with him being stabbed by an Iranian regime sympathizer. It is time to ensure that those who threaten Americans face the full force of the law." UANI's new list identifies 11 individuals and two regime-aligned entities that have not been sanctioned under U.S. counterterrorism laws. The organization is calling for all of them to be designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under Executive Order 13224, which is reserved for those engaged in or supporting terrorism. Among the top targets is Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi, a powerful cleric known as the "Sultan of Sugar" for his domination of Iran's lucrative sugar trade. Makarem-Shirazi has called for President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu to be executed under mohareb, which he interprets to include torture before death. Another senior figure, Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani, a student of Ayatollah Khomeini who served as his representative in Europe from 1979 to 1980, has issued a series of threats against the Jewish community over the years. He has also issued fatwas targeting Trump and Netanyahu. UANI warns that such rulings amount to the incitement of terrorism. "These aren't abstract religious statements," Jason Brodsky, UANI's policy director, told Fox News Digital. "They're targeted threats by regime officials against the president of the United States. The U.S. should respond accordingly—with sanctions, law enforcement action, and immigration reviews." The list also includes Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, the supreme leader's former representative to the United Kingdom and head of the Islamic Center of England, which has been used as a platform to export the Islamic Revolution in Europe. Araki this month threatened President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying "their lives and property are no longer protected. The U.S. government and president are now considered a hostile infidel government by all Muslims." Brodsky emphasized that Araki's background illustrates how Iran uses religious institutions in the West to export its revolutionary ideology. "This raises serious concerns about how the regime spreads radicalism through so-called religious charities abroad," Brodsky said. Another cleric, Alireza Panahian, is tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and is described by UANI as a key architect of Iran's extremist ideology of Mahdism — which promotes the annihilation of Jews and the destruction of Israel as prerequisites for the return of the Hidden Imam. He has vocally advocated for terrorist attacks on U.S.-led forces in the Middle East and beyond. UANI is also calling for counterterrorism sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the regime's state-run television network. According to the report, IRIB aired programming that promoted a $10–$20 million bounty on President Trump's head and solicited donations to fund the assassination. The IRIB TV studio in Tehran was bombed by the Israeli Air Force during the 12-day war. UANI also targeted the Qom Seminary, Iran's top religious training center, for publicly endorsing and pledging to implement the fatwa against Trump and Netanyahu. The seminary's faculty and students reportedly signed statements declaring their intent to propagate the decree. "We only have to remember what happened to Salman Rushdie to see how these fatwas can inspire real-world violence," Brodsky said, referring to the 2022 knife attack that left the author blind in one eye. "Now these same incitements are being directed at President Trump while he's in office."
Scottish Sun
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Iran's ‘medieval' fatwa demanding Trump be CRUCIFIED could spark homegrown terror attacks in West, top politicians warn
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IRAN'S "medieval" regime demanding Donald Trump be crucified could provoke "homegrown terrorist attacks", top politicians warn. Warped Ayatollahs issued a call to arms to Muslims urging them to make the US president "regret his actions" - branding him an "enemy of God". Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Donald Trump was shot at during an assassination attempt last year Credit: AP 6 Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi issued a horrifying Fatwa Credit: Alamy 6 A picture of the fatwa released by the Iranian mullah Fatwas - religious edicts - have been levelled against Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu by senior mullahs under the Islamic penal code "mohareb" - waging war against God. Sharia law states those charged must not only be killed but also tortured prior to death, including through crucifixion and limb amputation. Senior cleric Najmuddin Tabasi vowed Trump "must be executed" and said "the same hand that fired a shot past his ear can put a bullet through his throat" - referring to an assassination attempt last July. A sickening fundraiser has even been set up by hardline Iranian cleric Abdolmajid Kharahaani to hire an assassin to murder Trump and Israeli prime minister Netanyahu. It comes in the wake of the so-called 12-day war which saw Trump and Israel "obliterate" much of Iran's nuclear empire. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Chairman Governor Jeb Bush, CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, and Senior Advisor Rt. Hon. Tom Tugendhat MP insisted the mullahs must be urgently sanctioned. They also warned how high-ranking regime enforcers are in contact with individuals in both the US and Europe. In a statement shared exclusively with The Sun, Bush, Wallace and Tugendhat said: "The Iranian regime's medieval and barbaric threats against the US president and others cannot be ignored – and must not go unanswered. "The US government and its allies should immediately sanction Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, Makarem-Shirazi, Hamedani, Tabasi, and Panahian, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. 'None of these men have been sanctioned to date under counterterrorism authorities. Iran executes three prisoners accused of spying for Israel in brutal crackdown in wake of 12-day war "Additionally, the US Justice Department should seek indictments against these me and American law enforcement should partner with its allies to request INTERPOL Red Notices for issuing threats to internationally protected individuals." The trio also urged US authorities to conduct national security-based immigration review on named clerics, Iranian officials and their families to stop them from traveling to America and allied nations. "UANI has revealed that these senior Iranian regime mullahs are in direct communication with individuals and entities in the West, including in the US and Europe," they added. "Against this backdrop, there is an added urgency to implement stringent measures against them. "These calls are incitements to homegrown terrorist attacks and pose a serious threat to the president and US nationals—they should be treated accordingly." 6 Smoke rises from a fire following a strike on Tehran in June Credit: Reuters 6 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressing the nation in June during Israel's strikes Credit: AFP What is a fatwa? A FATWA is a formal ruling or interpretation on a point of Islamic law by a Marja - a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric. It calls on all Muslims, including the Islamic governments and individuals, to ensure its enforcement. In countries where Islamic law is the basis of the legal system, a fatwa can be binding. A fatwa issued by Iran's first supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini led to the massacre of 30,000 prisoners including some as young as 13 in a shocking two-month purge. The 1988 executions were revealed in the memoirs of Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, one of Ayatollah Khomeini's closest advisors who went on to condemn his murderous act. In it, he accused prisoners of "waging war against God" and urged Death Commissioners in charge of the mass killings to "show no mercy". Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi unleashed the fatwa on Sunday in response to Trump's comments on possible intentions to kill Ayatollah Khamenei. It comes after the US leader, 79, warned last month that he knew where Khamenei was hiding but wouldn't target him - "at least not for now". A day earlier, Netanyahu had said killing the supreme leader would not "escalate the conflict", but instead "end it". Furious Shirazi said 'any person or regime that threatens the leadership and religious authority' is considered a 'mohareb' – one who wages war against God. The sick fatwa also forbids any Muslim to cooperate with or support the two leaders - and says that any jihadist who is killed while attacking them will receive a reward from Allah. Shirazi's ruling came following an inquiry on how Muslims should react to threats made against the Supreme Leader and other Shia leaders. Timeline of assassination attempts on Donald Trump July 13, 2024 - Thomas Crooks shot at Donald Trump after hiding on a roof overlooking the former President's outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Crooks was killed by Secret Service snipers after he fired eight shots at Trump and killed one rallygoer and injured two others. The bullet came less than a quarter of an inch from striking Trump's head, Ronny Jackson, the former president's physician, said. September 15 - Ryan Routh was seen by a Secret Service agent hiding in the bushes with a rifle at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida. Trump was playing a round of golf when the alleged would-be assassin managed to get within 400 yard of Trump. Routh fled the scene in an SUV but was caught by cops and arrested. September 25 - Donald Trump posts on social media that he's been informed of an Iranian plot against his life. October 7 - Farhad Shakeri is given an order by an official in Iran's Revolutionary Guard to come up with a plan to kill Donald Trump within seven days. He told the FBI that he never intended to devise a plan in that timeframe, but allegedly discussed it with two hired guns in New York. November 7 - Carlisle Rivera of Brooklyn and Jonathan Loadholt of Staten Island are arrested in New York for being part of the plot to kill Donald Trump along with three other Americans Iran deemed targets. Shirazi, one of Tehran's chief religious authorities, called on Muslims worldwide to "make these enemies regret their words and actions". A fatwa was previously handed down on author Salman Rushdie in 1989 after his book The Satanic Verses infuriated then Ayatollah Khomeini - who put a $3million bounty on his head. The novelist, 77, faced numerous death threats and was forced to live largely in hiding for years before an assassination attempt in 2022. He lost sight in one eye after he was repeatedly stabbed on stage during a lecture in New York. It comes amid fears the fatwas are being used to stoke fears among domestic dissidents who dare to rebel against the regime. Hundreds have been arrested in the last two weeks, many accused of spying for Israel, and executions have escalated. Campaigners have warned the wounded regime is ramping up repression of its own people in a bid to stamp out any chance of an uprising. At a funeral for military top brass killed during Israel's strike, haunting chants of "Death to America" rung out. 6
The Irish Sun
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Iran's ‘medieval' fatwa demanding Trump be CRUCIFIED could spark homegrown terror attacks in West, top politicians warn
IRAN'S "medieval" regime demanding Donald Trump be crucified could provoke "homegrown terrorist attacks", top politicians warn. Warped Ayatollahs issued a call to arms to Muslims urging them to make the US president "regret his actions" - branding him an "enemy of God". Advertisement 6 Donald Trump was shot at during an assassination attempt last year Credit: AP 6 Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi issued a horrifying Fatwa Credit: Alamy 6 A picture of the fatwa released by the Iranian mullah Fatwas - religious edicts - have been levelled against Trump and Sharia law states those charged must not only be killed but also tortured prior to death, including through crucifixion and limb amputation. Senior cleric Najmuddin Tabasi vowed Trump "must be executed" and said "the same hand that fired a shot past his ear can put a bullet through his throat" - referring to A sickening fundraiser has even been set up by hardline Iranian cleric Abdolmajid Kharahaani to hire an assassin to murder Trump and Israeli prime minister Netanyahu. Advertisement More on Iran It comes in the wake of the so-called 12-day war which saw Trump and Israel "obliterate" much of Iran's nuclear empire. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Chairman Governor Jeb Bush, CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, and Senior Advisor Rt. Hon. Tom Tugendhat MP insisted the mullahs must be urgently sanctioned. They also warned how high-ranking regime enforcers are in contact with individuals in both the US and Europe. In a statement shared exclusively with The Sun, Bush, Wallace and Tugendhat said: "The Iranian regime's medieval and barbaric threats against the US president and others cannot be ignored – and must not go unanswered. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Breaking "The US government and its allies should immediately sanction Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, Makarem-Shirazi, Hamedani, Tabasi, and Panahian, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. 'None of these men have been sanctioned to date under counterterrorism authorities. Iran executes three prisoners accused of spying for Israel in brutal crackdown in wake of 12-day war "Additionally, the US Justice Department should seek indictments against these me and American law enforcement should partner with its allies to request INTERPOL Red Notices for issuing threats to internationally protected individuals." The trio also urged US authorities to conduct national security-based immigration review on named clerics, Iranian officials and their families to stop them from traveling to America and allied nations. Advertisement "UANI has revealed that these senior Iranian regime mullahs are in direct communication with individuals and entities in the West, including in the US and Europe," they added. "Against this backdrop, there is an added urgency to implement stringent measures against them. "These calls are incitements to homegrown terrorist attacks and pose a serious threat to the president and US nationals—they should be treated accordingly." 6 Smoke rises from a fire following a strike on Tehran in June Credit: Reuters Advertisement 6 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressing the nation in June during Israel's strikes Credit: AFP What is a fatwa? A FATWA is a formal ruling or interpretation on a point of Islamic law by a Marja - a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric. It calls on all Muslims, including the Islamic governments and individuals, to ensure its enforcement. In countries where Islamic law is the basis of the legal system, a fatwa can be binding. A fatwa issued by Iran's first supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini led to the massacre of 30,000 prisoners including some as young as 13 in a shocking two-month purge. The 1988 executions were revealed in the memoirs of Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, one of Ayatollah Khomeini's closest advisors who went on to condemn his murderous act. In it, he accused prisoners of "waging war against God" and urged Death Commissioners in charge of the mass killings to "show no mercy". Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi unleashed the fatwa on Sunday in response to Trump's comments on possible intentions to kill Ayatollah Khamenei. It comes after the US leader, 79, warned last month that he knew where Khamenei was hiding but wouldn't target him - "at least not for now". A day earlier, Netanyahu had said killing the supreme leader would not "escalate the conflict", but instead "end it". Advertisement Furious Shirazi said 'any person or regime that threatens the leadership and religious authority' is considered a 'mohareb' – one who wages war against God. The sick fatwa also forbids any Muslim to cooperate with or support the two leaders - and says that any jihadist who is killed while attacking them will receive a reward from Allah. Shirazi's ruling came following an inquiry on how Muslims should react to threats made against the Supreme Leader and other Shia leaders. Timeline of assassination attempts on Donald Trump July 13 , 2024 - Thomas Crooks shot at Donald Trump after hiding on a roof overlooking the former President's outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Crooks was killed by Secret Service snipers after he fired eight shots at Trump and killed one rallygoer and injured two others. The bullet came less than a quarter of an inch from striking Trump's head, Ronny Jackson, the former president's physician, said. September 15 - Ryan Routh was seen by a Secret Service agent hiding in the bushes with a rifle at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida. Trump was playing a round of golf when the alleged would-be assassin managed to get within 400 yard of Trump. Routh fled the scene in an SUV but was caught by cops and arrested. September 25 - Donald Trump posts on social media that he's been informed of an Iranian plot against his life. October 7 - Farhad Shakeri is given an order by an official in Iran's Revolutionary Guard to come up with a plan to kill Donald Trump within seven days. He told the FBI that he never intended to devise a plan in that timeframe, but allegedly discussed it with two hired guns in New York. November 7 - Carlisle Rivera of Brooklyn and Jonathan Loadholt of Staten Island are arrested in New York for being part of the plot to kill Donald Trump along with three other Americans Iran deemed targets. Shirazi, one of Tehran's chief religious authorities, called on Muslims worldwide to "make these enemies regret their words and actions". Advertisement A fatwa was previously handed down on author Salman Rushdie in 1989 after his book The Satanic Verses infuriated then Ayatollah Khomeini - who put a $3million bounty on his head. The novelist, 77, faced numerous death threats and was forced to live largely in hiding for years before an assassination attempt in 2022. He lost sight in one eye after he was repeatedly stabbed on stage during a lecture in New York. It comes amid fears the fatwas are being used to stoke fears among domestic dissidents who dare to rebel against the regime. Advertisement Hundreds Campaigners have warned the wounded regime is ramping up repression of its own people in a bid to stamp out any chance of an uprising. At a funeral for military top brass killed during Israel's strike, haunting chants of "Death to America" rung out. 6 Advertisement United Against Nuclear Iran statement in full Chairman Governor Jeb Bush, CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, and Senior Advisor Rt. Hon. Tom Tugendhat MP said: UANI vehemently condemns the Iranian regime's barbaric fatwas calling for thecrucifixion of President Trump and other US nationals. Over the last few days, some of the most senior Iranian regime ayatollahs and officials — Naser Makarem-Shirazi, Hossein Nouri Hamedani, Najmuddin Tabasi, and Alireza Panahian — have issued fatwas (religious decrees) calling on Islamists worldwide to carry out barbaric, homegrown terrorist attacks against President Trump and US nationals. Senior regime mullahs Makarem-Shirazi and Hamedani have specifically issued fatwas calling for the assassination and crucifixion of President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and others under the Islamic penal code of mohareb (waging war against God). Under Sharia law, all those charged as a mohareb must not only be killed but also tortured prior to death, including through crucifixion and cross-amputation. Panahian, who is a senior member of the Office of the Supreme Leader and a close associate of his son Mojtaba Khamenei, has amplified these calls for the killings of American officials. Likewise, Tabasi, who is a member of the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom, proclaimed President Trump 'must be executed' and said, 'the same hand that fired a shot past his ear can put a bullet through his throat.' A mullah on Iran's state TV has even announced the creation of a fund to collect money for the 'killing of Trump and Netanyahu,' which he stated could be achieved with $10–20 million. The Iranian regime's medieval and barbaric threats against the U.S. president and others cannot be ignored – and must not go unanswered. The U.S. government and its allies should immediately sanction Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, Makarem-Shirazi, Hamedani, Tabasi, and Panahian, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. None of these men have been sanctioned to date under counterterrorism authorities. Additionally, the US Justice Department should seek indictments against these men and American law enforcement should partner with its allies to request INTERPOL Red Notices for issuing threats to internationally protected individuals. The US government and its allies should also conduct national security-based immigration reviews on these clerics, Iranian officials, and their families to ensure they are prohibited from traveling to the territories of the U.S. and its allies. UANI has revealed that these senior Iranian regime mullahs are in direct communication with individuals and entities in the West, including in the US and Europe. Against this backdrop, there is an added urgency to implement stringent measures against them. Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa against the author Salman Rushdie was handed down in 1989. In 2022, Rushdie was almost killed after his eye was gouged out by an individual seeking to carry out the fatwa at a talk in Chautauqua, New York. "These calls are incitements to homegrown terrorist attacks and pose a serious threat to the president and US nationals—they should be treated accordingly.'
NDTV
03-06-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Panama Removes Over 650 Ships From Registry Amid Sanctions, Stricter Rules
Panama City: Panama's Maritime Authority has removed from its registry more than 650 vessels since 2019 as part of an effort to fulfill U.S. sanctions and enforce stricter rules for the ships it flags, it said on Monday. A total of 214 vessels have been withdrawn from Panama's registry, among the world's largest with more than 8,500 ships, since it began implementing measures last year allowing it to act faster to help enforce sanctions, the authority added. Ships cannot sail under Panama's flag once they are removed from its registry. Panama responded to criticism by non-governmental organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which last week said Panama had not taken sufficient action against sanction violators and asked it to "immediately cease facilitating Iran's illicit oil trade" and withdraw its flag from all tankers carrying Iranian oil. According to UANI, nearly one in five vessels suspected of transporting Iranian oil sails under Panama's flag. "This is not just a failure of Panama's registry. It's a direct threat to global sanctions compliance and regional and U.S. security," it said. Panama in 2019 signed an agreement with other flag countries including Liberia and Marshall Islands to exchange information about vessels whose registrations were canceled or rejected due to potential sanction violations. It also began implementing measures against ships that deliberately turn off their transponders to avoid tracking. In May, the authority said it would reinforce controls for ship-to-ship operations by Panama-flagged vessels, following an increase in the use of "dark-fleet" tankers to skirt sanctions or evade environmental requirements. The U.S. has increased pressure on countries with large vessel registries to help enforce sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized the expansion of a dark fleet of tankers moving sanctioned oil and threatened to take over the Panama Canal. The Central American nation is collaborating with the United States on its registry, the authority said in its press release. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
GMA Network
02-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Panama removes over 650 ships from registry amid sanctions, stricter rules
File photo of a Panamanian flag flutters with the skyline of the city in the background, in Panama City, Panama. REUTERS/Erick Marciscano PANAMA CITY - Panama's Maritime Authority has removed from its registry more than 650 vessels since 2019 as part of an effort to fulfill U.S. sanctions and enforce stricter rules for the ships it flags, it said on Monday. A total of 214 vessels have been withdrawn from Panama's registry, among the world's largest with more than 8,500 ships, since it began implementing measures last year allowing it to act faster to help enforce sanctions, the authority added. Ships cannot sail under Panama's flag once they are removed from its registry. Panama responded to criticism by non-governmental organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which last week said Panama had not taken sufficient action against sanction violators and asked it to "immediately cease facilitating Iran's illicit oil trade" and withdraw its flag from all tankers carrying Iranian oil. According to UANI, nearly one in five vessels suspected of transporting Iranian oil sails under Panama's flag. "This is not just a failure of Panama's registry. It's a direct threat to global sanctions compliance and regional and U.S. security," it said. Panama in 2019 signed an agreement with other flag countries including Liberia and Marshall Islands to exchange information about vessels whose registrations were canceled or rejected due to potential sanction violations. It also began implementing measures against ships that deliberately turn off their transponders to avoid tracking. In May, the authority said it would reinforce controls for ship-to-ship operations by Panama-flagged vessels, following an increase in the use of "dark-fleet" tankers to skirt sanctions or evade environmental requirements. The U.S. has increased pressure on countries with large vessel registries to help enforce sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized the expansion of a dark fleet of tankers moving sanctioned oil and threatened to take over the Panama Canal. The Central American nation is collaborating with the United States on its registry, the authority said in its press release. — Reuters
