Iran’s national security establishment issued a warning Tuesday, saying any attack on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be treated as an act of war against the broader Islamic world and would prompt a declaration of jihad.

The warning was reported by the Iranian Students News Agency, which quoted Iran’s parliamentary commission on national security and foreign policy as saying that harm to the supreme leader would trigger a religiously sanctioned call to arms.

“Any attack on the supreme leader means a declaration of war with the entire Islamic world and must await the issuance of a jihad decree by Islamic scholars and the response of Islam’s soldiers in all parts of the world,” the commission said, according to the report.

The comments come amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington following a sweeping crackdown on protests inside Iran. The unrest — sparked by economic grievances and political repression — has drawn sharp criticism from the United States, with President Donald Trump warning that continued violence against protesters could provoke a response from Washington.

Iranian officials have increasingly claimed the domestic unrest and international pressure is part of a broader external threat, often invoking religious and ideological language to signal deterrence.

While U.S. officials have not publicly threatened Khamenei personally, Iranian leaders have repeatedly accused Washington of seeking regime change.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)