Assembly of Experts: “There is No Path Except Jihad and Resistance”; Threatening Trump and Netanyahu with Retaliation

In a new statement, the Assembly of Experts condemned negotiations and discussions of “referendums” and “honorable peace” under current conditions, declaring that “there is no path except jihad and resistance.” The body also called on the judiciary to take action against individuals who express views opposing government policies and reaffirmed the Islamic Republic’s continued support for Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In a new statement, the Assembly of Experts reaffirmed its commitment to the policy of “jihad and resistance,” rejected negotiations with the United States, and called on the judiciary to take action against statements that contradict the Islamic Republic’s declared policies. In another section of the statement, those responsible for and those who ordered the killing of Ali Khamenei were declared “deserving of death,” and it spoke of taking revenge on Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. These positions are being presented at a time when critics view the threatening rhetoric and restrictions on presenting alternative viewpoints such as referendums and peace as indicators of an escalation in Iran’s political and security atmosphere.

In this statement released yesterday, Tuesday, September 22, 2024, the Assembly of Experts stated that the experience of recent months has shown that there is no path except jihad and resistance against what it calls the “aggressive enemy,” and that no understanding can be reached with the United States and its allies.

One of the most notable sections of the statement is the Assembly’s explicit response to raising topics such as referendums and peace. In this statement, comments described as “divisive, reckless, uncoordinated, or contrary to declared government policies,” and specifically recent remarks about “referendums and honorable peace,” are characterized as an attempt at “surrender to the enemy” and “disturbing public opinion,” and are referred to as “unforgivable crimes.”

The Assembly of Experts also called on responsible bodies, particularly the judiciary, to fulfill their legal duties against individuals it labels as “divisive and spreaders of rumors.”

This section of the statement effectively places the possibility of presenting certain political views about the country’s future and how to end conflicts within a security framework—an issue that critics of the Islamic Republic view as a sign of a narrowing space for expressing different viewpoints.

In another section of the statement, the Assembly of Experts considered support for groups called the “Axis of Resistance” as part of the Islamic Republic’s strategic policy and specifically emphasized the continued support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and Ansarallah in Yemen.

The statement notes that officials should not, under any circumstances, neglect support for Hezbollah and Ansarallah. This position demonstrates that at least at the level of the Assembly of Experts, regional support for the Islamic Republic’s allies continues to be emphasized as part of official government policy.

Another section of the statement is devoted to Iranians abroad. Without naming specific individuals, the Assembly called for judicial action against those who, according to the body, “have served the country’s enemies for years” and have insulted religious and national sanctities.

This section of the statement also raises concerns about the scope of judicial treatment of critics outside Iran, particularly when standards such as “serving enemies” or “insulting sanctities” can encompass a wide range of behaviors and statements.

The most controversial section of this statement pertains to Donald Trump, President of the United States, and Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.

According to the published text, the Assembly of Experts declared those responsible for and those who ordered the killing of Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic’s former Supreme Leader, as “deserving of death” and spoke of “revenge.” Subsequently, Trump and Netanyahu are presented in the same framework, with the statement declaring that pursuing their punishment is a rational and religious obligation for those who have access to them.

This rhetoric was previously seen in a statement released in June 2024 signed by dozens of Assembly of Experts members. In that statement too, Trump and Netanyahu were declared “deserving of death,” and those with access to them were called upon to kill them.

In examining this matter, one must distinguish between the latest Assembly of Experts statement and the June statement signed by a group of its members.

In June, the Assembly of Experts’ secretariat announced that releasing a statement titled “A Group of Assembly of Experts Members” did not follow the body’s usual procedures and its publication was outside normal practice.

However, the statement discussed in this report was released as an official Assembly of Experts statement and domestic media outlets republished it. The Tasnim news agency published the main sections of the statement and endorsed the experts’ emphasis on “jihad and resistance” and action against what this body calls “divisiveness.”

One of the important aspects of this statement is the duality it draws between resistance and surrender. In the experts’ text, discussing referendums or honorable peace under current conditions is presented not merely as a political disagreement, but as an action related to “surrender to the enemy” and “disturbing public opinion.”

From a political perspective, such rhetoric is significant because it blurs the line between political opposition, proposing an alternative path to end the conflict, and criminal acts.

Critics of the Islamic Republic have warned for years about the use of security and judicial labels against opponents and critics. In this statement too, the request for judicial action against individuals who have merely expressed opinions on topics such as referendums or peace can be seen as an example of this approach.

Of course, determining whether a specific statement in a judicial case actually constitutes a crime or not requires careful examination of the exact text of the statements, applicable laws, and legal proceedings, and conclusions about individuals’ criminal liability cannot be drawn solely on the basis of this statement.

The latest Assembly of Experts statement shows that at this body’s level, the “resistance” policy continues to be preferred over negotiation and reconciliation. The experts, on one hand, have opposed discussions of referendums and “honorable peace” and called for judicial action against opponents of this approach, and on the other hand, have reaffirmed continued support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and other groups allied with the Islamic Republic.

Simultaneously, the rhetoric related to declaring Trump and Netanyahu “deserving of death” and calls for revenge constitute another aspect of the positions presented in this series of statements—positions that have gained wide coverage due to their direct reference to the killing of two foreign political figures.

What can be reported is that in its latest statement, the Assembly of Experts has emphasized resistance, confrontation with the United States, continued support for regional allies, and judicial action against statements opposing official policy; while critics view such an approach as an indication of a narrowing political space and an increase in threatening rhetoric in the Islamic Republic.