Iran has indirectly threatened U.S. President Donald Trump with death after a prominent cleric declared that issuing threats against Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, amounts to a curse and a grave sin under Islam—an offense punishable by death. This comes nearly two weeks after Trump indirectly targeted Khamenei, calling him an easy mark. “We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” he said in comments to reporters. Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, a prominent cleric from Qom, south of Tehran, stopped short of mentioning Trump by name but issued a religious ruling declaring that threats against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei or other senior religious figures are so severe they warrant the death penalty under Islamic law, according to Iran’s state news agency, IRNA. Makarem Shirazi’s statement came in response to a question from a follower specifically asking about Trump. He explained that “individuals or regimes that attack an Islamic government or threaten or act against its religious leaders are regarded as ‘Mohareb’”—a term meaning enemies of God or those who wage war against God. As such, he added, it becomes an obligation for Muslims to confront and punish these “enemies.” Although he did not explicitly name Trump, the Ayatollah clarified Islamic teachings, which hold that those who fight and punish the enemies of Islam are considered holy warriors and receive divine favour.