©picture alliance / newscom | Behnam Tofighi
Conservative Iranian newspaper Hamshahri has sparked uproar after publishing an infographic listing 13 foreign leaders it suggests should fear 'retaliation' in the wake of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death. The publication followed an initial message from his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who vowed to avenge the deaths of those who, according to Tehran, were killed in American and Israeli attacks.
The infographic appeared online on Saturday evening but did not appear in the newspaper’s printed Sunday edition. Hamshahri, which is run by the Tehran city authorities and is known for its hardline stance, posted photos of 13 politicians and military officials alongside a text stating that “retaliation is inevitable.” Among those pictured are U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The full list also includes Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. In the footage, Trump and Netanyahu were also marked with a visor.
Iranian position or merely a threat from extremist journalists?
However, it's unclear whether the list reflects an official Iranian position. The Iranian authorities have not published a formal list of names, and it remains unclear whether the newspaper acted with explicit approval. Nevertheless, the publication illustrates how sharply tensions are escalating following the death of Khamenei, who, according to Tehran, was killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike. Israel reacted strongly to the publication. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the statement a call for violence against democratic leaders. The incident is part of a broader propaganda battle, in which Iran accuses European countries of not taking strong enough action against the attacks and holds them partly responsible.
©picture alliance / newscom | Behnam Tofighi