Trump and Macron Among Names on Revenge List Published by Iranian Newspaper
An Iranian newspaper, Hamshahri, has published a list of world figures it claims will be targets of retaliation for the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The names range from United States President Donald Trump to French President Emmanuel Macron.
An air strike launched by the US and Israel killed Khamenei on 28 February, marking the first day of war in the Middle East. His son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed to avenge his father’s death.
‘Revenge is the will of our nation and must be carried out,’ Mojtaba said on Saturday, in his first message since his father’s funeral earlier that week. ‘These criminals, whose names are on the list, will carry their desire to die peacefully in their beds to the grave,’ he added.
Hamshahri, which is managed by the Tehran city government, released an online infographic on Saturday evening. The infographic featured photographs of 13 foreign leaders alongside a firm statement from Mojtaba. In his message, Mojtaba said Iran had compiled a list of individuals to be targeted in operations. However, he did not directly name them, and there is no indication that the list published by the newspaper is officially endorsed by the highest governing authorities.
The names included in the infographic are US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The infographic did not appear in the newspaper’s print edition on Sunday. Other figures on the target list include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Throughout the war, Iran has repeatedly accused European countries of deliberately turning a blind eye and failing to condemn attacks on its territory. Tehran has also accused Europe of complicity for allowing US military aircraft to cross their airspace to carry out strikes.