New Delhi, June 30 -- 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, viole...