MANASSAS, Va. – FIRST ON FOX: For many, the war with Iran — and the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — might seem like the climactic end to a long, brutal reign of terror by the theological clerics who have run the country since 1979.

But a Fox News Digital investigation reveals that, for certain hardline Shiite ideologues, including in the U.S., this is not an ending but a prophetic showdown that will usher in the arrival of the «Mahdi,» a messiah, according to Islamic eschatology, or the theology of end times. 

In this prophecy, Mahdi will emerge to battle Dajjal, the Islamic equivalent of the Antichrist, in a final battle of Armageddon. For many of these ideologues, President Donald Trump is Dajjal.

At a recent Friday sermon at a local Shiite mosque in northern Virginia, an imam closed prayer with an earnest plea, before war broke out in Iran: «May Allah destroy all the nonbelievers – or kafiroon or munafiqoon,» he said, using Arabic words that refer to «nonbelievers» and «hypocrites.» 

He asked for this victory «before the arrival of Imam Mahdi.»

Fox News Digital observed the sermon and also witnessed a special table of honor in the middle of the mosque’s main prayer hall, featuring framed photos of Khamenei embracing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrullah, also killed by Israel for orchestrating terrorist attacks.

The Friday service at the Manassas Mosque reveals a theological dynamic that Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned about in early February, noting that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s leaders are guided not merely by geopolitics and national security considerations, but by «pure theology.»

«We have to understand that Iran ultimately is governed, and its decisions are governed by Shiite clerics — radical Shiite clerics — who make policy decisions on the basis of pure theology,» Rubio said.

In its investigation, Fox News Digital conducted a digital analysis of hours of sermons and scores of pages of pro-regime protest slogans, messaging and social media posts, using large-language models, and found clerics, community leaders and media platforms in the U.S. framing tensions with Iran in explicitly apocalyptic terms rooted in eschatology, or Islamist end-times theology. 

The investigation found that precepts shaping Tehran’s worldview, from its clerics to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are also being preached on American soil by proxies for Iran’s propaganda.

From the mosque in northern Virginia to religious institutions in Michigan and Texas, clerics aligned with the Islamic Republic are advancing a doomsday interpretation of faith that casts geopolitical and military confrontation with the U.S. as part of a prophetic destiny tied to the return of the Mahdi.

After war broke out Friday night, Fox News Digital witnessed pro-regime chats on messaging platforms, like Telegram, filled with prayers, awaiting «the arrival» of Mahdi. 

«We need Al Mahdi…His return with Jesus will be the final win permanently,» one read.

«The saviour the warrior the dominator ‘ imam mahdi ’ [sic] will arrive,» read another.

Last summer, the Manassas Mosque co-organized a White House protest with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the ANSWER Coalition, CodePink and other far-left groups to support the Iranian regime. The groups are now again protesting Trump’s military action against Iran. 

One demonstrator, wearing a black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarf over her face, carried a flag last summer that read «Labayk ya Mahdi» in Arabic, meaning, «At your service, oh, Mahdi.» 

In Farsi, Arabic and English, the flag also had the message, «I dedicate every single of my steps to your reappearance.» 

U.S. clerics and media platforms promote Islamic «end times» theology that predicts the arrival of the Mahdi, or Messiah, to end «corruption» in the world. (TMJ News Network/Instagram @TMJNewsNetwork and 313 Wisdom of Imams/@313.wisdom)

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Pro-regime mosques, K-12 schools and local community organizations in the U.S. are «producing messaging that mirrors Tehran’s talking points almost word for word,» warned Andrew Ghalili, policy director at the National Union for Democracy in Iran, an advocacy group led by Iranian Americans who oppose the theocratic regime running Iran.

In an upcoming report, «The Ayatollahs’ Influence Network in the United States,» reviewed by Fox News Digital, the group’s researchers conclude the Islamic Republic of Iran spreads «Tehran’s messaging» in a network of institutions it supports in the U.S., for example, pitting Trump as the Dajjal fighting defenders of the Mahdi, like Khamenei and now his successors.

«What we’re seeing is years of deliberate investment by the Islamic Republic inside the United States,» Ghalili told Fox News Digital. 

«This is happening on American soil, and it’s just another way in which the regime poses a direct threat to the United States, this time not with missiles but through infiltration,» he said.

A gunman just killed three in Austin, Texas, wearing a sweater that said, «PROPERTY OF ALLAH.» According to media reports, law enforcement officials found the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran and photos of its leaders in his home.

On March 1, 2026, in Sana’a, Yemen, pro-Iran protesters brandish billboards depicting the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, flags of Yemen and Iran, weapons, and chant slogans at a rally held to condemn the U.S.-Israel aerial attacks on Iran and the killing of Khamenei and several military officials. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

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After the recent Friday service, two community leaders at the Manassas mosque declined to speak for attribution but told Fox News Digital that the rhetoric of destroying «nonbelievers» and the photos of Khamenei and the terrorist group leaders are meant to challenge «injustice» before the Mahdi appears.

A Harvard University report on «The Hidden Imam and the End of Time» recognizes the world’s two billion Muslims hold a range of beliefs regarding eschatology and many reject strict or literal interpretations.

In the majority Sunni sect and the minority Shiite sect of Islam, clerics describe the Mahdi’s army traveling from modern-day Iran to Damascus, Syria, where Jesus would appear at the Umayyad Mosque and pray behind the Mahdi. The Mahdi’s forces would battle Dajjal in Syria and kill him in Lod, Israel, conquering the world.

Days ago, Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency repeated the end-times narrative, quoting Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem, claiming the regime is the «government of Imam Mahdi» and its anti-U.S. «resistance is the path to hastening his reappearance.»

With the dramatic backdrop of an American flag, skulls for stars and the message «DOWN WITH THE U.S.A.» over the flag’s stripes, Iranians attended a state-organized rally in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, celebrating the birthday of Imam Mahdi, or the «Hidden Imam,» a 9th-century saint whom Shiite Muslims believe will return at the end of time as a messiah to end tyranny and promote justice. In the U.S., Shiite clerics and mosques held similar celebrations, also vilifying the U.S. and supporting the regime running the Islamic Republic of Iran. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

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For women’s rights activist Sara Ghorbani, a writer who fled Iran’s rigid theocratic rule in 2010, the regime’s death grip on power is disturbing.

«We’re fighting an evil that the world doesn’t truly comprehend in its belief that it has a divine mandate to usher in a day of apocalypse,» Ghorbani told Fox News Digital. 

«Our brave people in Iran are fighting a tyranny that believes it is God’s salvation for this earth when, in fact, it is a cruel and ungodly regime that is actually their own prophecy of Dajjal,» added Ghorbani, who created a short video of children the Iranian regime allegedly killed in recent weeks.

Women’s rights activist Sara Ghorbani uses her Instagram account to share the stories of children allegedly killed by Iranian security forces amid recent protests against the country’s leaders. She challenges the narrative that the regime is fighting «injustice» by the U.S. «empire.» (Sarah Ghorbani/Instagram @sara.ghorbani13)

In Dearborn, Michigan, Usama Abdulghani, imam at the Hadi Institute, recently posted a controversial video on a YouTube channel for «Light of Guidance,» which says on its YouTube page that its content isn’t connected to any other organization. 

Before war broke out, he warned congregants that «the empire is now right outside the door» of Iran, in the form of U.S. forces. The Hadi Institute and the Light of Guidance didn’t respond to requests for comment about the cleric’s statements.

In another lecture, he reassured congregants, «Iran has been waiting for the mother of all battles for 47 years,» since 1979. He said Americans shouldn’t fight «for this empire.»

He urged congregants to engage in a «clarification jihad» and convert Americans to Islam «before Imam Mahdi returns.»

In its report, the National Union for Democracy in Iran alleges that the Hadi Institute is a «rhetorically aggressive node in the pro-Iran ecosystem.» It has a publishing enterprise that says on its website that its staff «deliver an unfiltered message in promoting an Islamic worldview in preparation of the Mahdi.» The Hadi Institute and its publishing initiative didn’t respond to questions about the criticisms about its work.

It alleges anti-U.S. propaganda, like the doomsday scenario, is often expressed at venues supported by a pro-regime New York-based 501(c)(3) organization, the Alavi Foundation, which it alleges has built «durable, institution-based influence networks operating inside the United States through religious, educational and nonprofit structures.» 

In its latest IRS Form 990 filing, the Alavi Foundation, headquartered on Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan, reported $58 million in assets. The Alavi Foundation didn’t respond to a request for comment about the allegations that it promotes propaganda that supports the regime in Iran. 

At one point, Abdulghani reassured his congregation that Iran would defeat U.S. forces, saying, «Iran has something for these guys. Don’t be worried about Iran. Iran has been waiting for the mother of all battles for 47 years. They’ve been waiting for this. Iran is prepared. Don’t worry about that. Iran’s going to be able to handle its business.»

In a new report, researchers at the National Contagion Research Institute, based in Princeton, N.J., analyzed regime narratives alleging the CIA and Israel’s Mossad spy agency, fomented January’s protests against the regime, an allegation that Abdulghani repeated. They found «decentralized influence networks,» including in the U.S., «operationalize and amplify» pro-regime narratives.

The pro-regime messaging even invokes the end-times narrative to children. In late December, the «Muslim Student Association Persian-Speaking Group of North America» shared a video showing children coloring paper masks, swords and shields labeled «Ya Mahdi, Labayk,» or «Oh Mahdi, come.» The children staged mock attacks with their paper weapons amid Legos and glitter.

A few years ago, a video from the Islamic Education Center of Houston went viral in Iran, featuring students saying they would be soldiers for Imam Mahdi, singing, «I make an oath to be your martyr.» The center didn’t respond to requests for comment, but an academic told the local media the video was metaphorical allegiance to a religious figure.

The Manassas Mosque in northern Virginia is a Shiite mosque that includes photos of Iran’s supreme leader embracing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrullah before both were killed by Israel in 2024 for orchestrating terrorist attacks. (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)

The messianic messaging also extends to pro-regime media platforms. Earlier this month, a media website, TMJ News Network, published an article headlined, «The Promise of Justice Amid Corruption,» featuring an image of convicted child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein alongside a green-cloaked silhouette and images of other figures referenced in documents released by the Justice Department. Only Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell has been implicated in illegal conduct in connection with the Epstein case. 

The article stated that «against this backdrop, the Mahdist movement represents a promise of justice.»

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On the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution, the pro-regime Light of Guidance hosted an assistant imam, Hassan Salamey, who invoked «the Epstein list» to denounce «the Satanic» West.

«The Islamic Republic is the system that is working to prepare the grounds for the saviors who will come side by side: Jesus, the son of Mary, and the Mahdi from the final prophet’s line,» he said. «This is the transitional government that will lead the fight to save us all.»

Back at the Manassas Mosque in northern Virginia, congregation members closed their prayers seeking to «destroy all the nonbelievers,» the portraits of Khamenei, Sinwar and Nasrullah over their shoulders.

Fox News Digital’s Hannah Brennan, Tessa Hoyos and Nikos DeGruccio contributed to this report.

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Nuevos bombardeos de Estados Unidos e Israel a Irán. (Foto: captura TN)

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Por la guerra en Medio Oriente, bajan las bolsas, el petróleo sube casi 10% y el oro cotiza a más de US$5400

Los precios del petróleo y del gas saltaron este lunes, mientras el oro volvió a acercarse a los US$5500 y las bolsas de Asia y Europa caían a raíz de la tensión en Medio Oriente desatada por los ataques de Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán y la respuesta de Teherán.

En las bolsas, las generalizadas caídas de más de 2% se replicaron por Asia -salvo Shanghai que subió 0.5%-. La tendencia bajista dominaba las operaciones en las bolsas de Europa y se esperaba similar escenario para la de Nueva York y el resto del continente, incluida la de Buenos Aires.

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Tras el ataque a Irán, crece la presión en EE.UU. para que Trump termine rápido el conflicto en Medio Oriente

Donald Trump necesita un desenlace rápido de la guerra en Irán. De lo contrario corre serio de riesgo de pagar un elevado costo político en su base de apoyo electoral y dentro de su Partido Republicano, muy en especial en el movimiento MAGA (Make America Great Again) que lo llevó a la presidencia.

“La coalición MAGA quiere resultados rápidos”, advirtió una fuente citada por el sitio estadounidense Axios.

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Francia, Reino Unido y Alemania respaldaron a EE.UU. y advirtieron que tomarán medidas contra Irán

Francia, Reino Unido y Alemania, que forman el denominado bloque E3, avisaron este domingo que considerarán tomar medidas para destruir la capacidad de Irán de lanzar misiles y drones.

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Los eventuales ataques, según dijeron, buscarían defender sus intereses y los de sus aliados en Oriente Medio.

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02 de marzo 2026, 06:30hs

En las calles de Irán se mezclaron manifestaciones de celebración y de luto por la muerte de Ali Jamenei

Iraníes festejan muerte del líder supremo Ali Jamenei (Video: X/@bbcpersian. Foto: Reuters)

La muerte del líder supremo iraní, Ali Jamenei, derivó en manifestaciones de júbilo y de pesar en distintos puntos de Irán tras el inicio de la ofensiva estadounidense-israelí.

“Grandes multitudes inundaron las calles de Teherán y otras ciudades del país la madrugada del domingo para celebrar su muerte, entre fuegos artificiales, bailes y vítores. Horas después, decenas de dolientes más salieron a las calles, entre lágrimas, para lamentar su muerte, ondeando banderas iraníes y sosteniendo fotos del ayatolá Jamenei”, escribió The New York Times.

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The Islamic Republic of Iran has built a coalition of largely Shiite terrorist proxies — the axis of resistance — that will join Tehran in counterstrikes in response to the joint U.S.-Israel preventive attacks on Iran’s military installations and leadership.

The most dangerous of Iran’s allies is its main strategic partner, the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah. 

Israel’s army had been intensely targeting Hezbollah positions ahead of the U.S. campaign, Operation Epic Fury.

Hezbollah

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is obligated to disarm Hezbollah, according to the November 2024 ceasefire with Israel. 

«In Lebanon, we continue to act daily against attempts by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to rebuild and rearm,» Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Effie Defrin said Friday.

«An example of this is the strike we carried out yesterday in the Baalbek area, during which we targeted ammunition depots and eliminated terrorists from the Radwan Force. We will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its capabilities and pose a threat to Israeli civilians.»

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Smoke rises over the city after the Israeli army launched a second wave of airstrikes on Iran in Tehran Feb. 28, 2026. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

An official from Hezbollah said Wednesday that the jihadi terrorist organization will not intervene militarily if the U.S. delivers «limited» strikes on Iran. Yet the Hezbollah official said the organization regards any attack against Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a «red line.»

According to the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center (Alma), «Hezbollah fields a substantial combat force, estimated at around 40,000-50,000 active combatants and an additional 30,000-50,000 reservists. Central to its offensive structure is the Radwan Unit, which Hezbollah is making major efforts to rebuild and restore.»

Iran rebuilds Hezbollah ties as Trump gives 10- to 15-day deadline. (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

IDF Lt. Col. (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, president and founder of Alma in northern Israel, told Fox News Digital the «Lebanese army is not putting much effort into disarming Hezbollah. The outcome of that is good intentions are just words. As a resident of the north, I have not seen any systematic disarmament.»

Edy Cohen, a Lebanese-born Israeli scholar of Hezbollah, told Fox News Digital the «Lebanese population does not see Hezbollah as resistance» because Hezbollah lost its recent war against Israel. He said Hezbollah failed in its efforts to aid Hamas in Gaza to defeat Israel after its Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of the Jewish state.

Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces

The second Iranian-backed proxy is the Shiite militia movement in Iraq. Entifadh Qanbar, a former spokesman for the deputy prime minister of Iraq, told Fox News Digital he believes the Shiite militia will join Iran in the war.

«Many second-tier Shia leaders, militia lords, as I like to call them, harbor ambitions to rise and challenge the aging top-tier top leadership,» Qanbar said. «They have accumulated enormous wealth, and the only way they can compete with the old guard is by proving to Iran that they are bold, reckless and ready to fight in defense of Tehran.

Members of the Popular Mobilisation units, paramilitary forces that are dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias, hold an Islamist flag in Tikrit April 5, 2015, after Iraqi forces retook the northern city from Islamic State (IS) group jihadists earlier in the month.  (Mohammed Sawaf/AFP via Getty Images)

«Their ambitions have blinded their rational thinking. These are militia terrorists with little understanding of the outside world, yet they are dangerously overconfident. They are loose cannons, completely out of control, and Iran is prepared to throw them into the fire because they are expendable. That is why you see Kataeb Hezbollah in Iraq issuing threats, while older, more established militias like Hezbollah Lebanon have made it clear they will not participate.»

The pro-Iran Iraqi militia accuses the U.S. of bombing it and pledged a retaliatory response on Saturday. Kataeb Hezbollah said the U.S. is responsible for a strike that targeted an Iraqi military base that houses the Iranian proxy militia. The Iraqi terrorist group says it will «soon start assaulting American bases in response to their attacks.»

Houthi terrorists walk over British and U.S. flags at a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the recent Houthi strikes on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Feb. 4, 2024, on the outskirts of Sana’a, Yemen.  (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

Houthis

The third wing of the axis of resistance is the Houthi movement in Yemen.

The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have decided to resume missile and drone attacks on shipping routes and on Israel in support of Iran, according to two senior Houthi officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because there is no official announcement from the Houthi leadership, according to The Associated Press.

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One of the officials said the rebels’ first attack could come as soon as «tonight.» Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip is also part of the axis of resistance and Hamas and Iran are also partners in their campaigns to destroy the Jewish state.

THE Associated Press contributed to this report.

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