Iranian leader reassuringly says 'death to America' chant is only about Trump, Bolton, and Pompeo
The 40-year-old "death to America" chant that Iranians have shouted since the 1979 Iranian Revolution should not be taken personally by U.S. citizens, says Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a speech to Iranian Air Force officers Friday, Khamenei explained that the phrase is directed at President Trump and other U.S. leaders rather than average citizens, reports Reuters.
"As long as America continues its wickedness, the Iranian nation will not abandon 'Death to America,'" Khomeini reportedly said. "'Death to America' means death to Trump, [National Security Adviser] John Bolton, and [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo. It means death to American rulers."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Khamenei reportedly also said European leaders are included in his anger, saying Iran should not trust Western nations still involved in the Iran nuclear deal, per The Hill.
The U.S. has been in hot water with Iran since Trump's announcement of withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal last May. Since then, Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani have expressed no desire to meet with each other, with Hassan labeling Trump as "untrustworthy."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Marianne is The Week’s Social Media Editor. She is a native Tennessean and recent graduate of Ohio University, where she studied journalism and political science. Marianne has previously written for The Daily Beast, The Crime Report, and The Moroccan Times.
-
Political cartoons for November 8Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include narco boats, and the new Lincoln monument
-
Why Trump pardoned crypto criminal Changpeng ZhaoIn the Spotlight Binance founder’s tactical pardon shows recklessness is rewarded by the Trump White House
-
Codeword: November 8, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
