Chanting “Death to America” during rallies in Iran means “death to everything that America represents,” according to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an attempt to explain the chants away.
Khamenei’s comments came in a speech he gave one day before the anniversary of the 1979 U.S. embassy takeover in Tehran, during which the infamous chant was yet again heard on the streets of Tehran – as it is every year.
Khamenei’s speech was posted on his official website and on social media outlets. It was translated to English by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
“Human values have been trampled (in the U.S.),” stated Khamenei in the speech.There are “discrimination, controversies, racism and human rights violations.” Iran's record on human rights was not part of his rhetoric.
“When you chant ‘Death to America’,” he continued, “when you are told to direct all your chants against America, it means: Death to all these things (that America represents.”
The crowd then responded with the “Death to America” chant.
Iran today, claimed the Supreme Leader, “holds its head up high” in countries such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, as well as in the Persian Gulf.
“Everywhere you look Iran is a glowing figure,” he boasted. READ MORE
