Rafsanjani's statement was rejected by his hard line opponents who said that 'The Imam throughout his life called America 'the Great Satan'. However, according to Hashemi Rafsanjani, Khomeini agreed in principle to drop the usage of the slogan in 1984. embassy seizure, which Iranian leaders declared in 1987 as a national holiday, called 'Death to America Day.' State-sponsored murals that feature the slogan 'Death to America' are common in Iranian cities, particularly Tehran. These events include the November 4 anniversary of the U.S. It is regularly chanted at Friday prayers and other public events, which is often accompanied by a burning of the flag of the United States. Throughout the existence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the slogan has formed a pillar of its revolutionary values. A similar slogan 'Death to Israel' ( Persian: مرگ بر اسرائیل) is also used, and regularly chanted in Iranian and Pakistani political rallies. 'Death to the Soviet Union' and 'Death to England' also became popular. Throughout the crisis, Iranians surrounding the embassy chanted 'Death to America' and 'Death to Carter.' When Iran released the remaining 52 American hostages on January 20, 1981, they were led through a gauntlet of students forming parallel lines that shouted 'Death to America' as they boarded the airplane that would fly them out of Tehran. embassy in Tehran, including the day the embassy was seized on November 4, 1979, which commenced the Iran hostage crisis. įollowing the fall of the pro-American Pahlavi dynasty in early 1979, Iranian protesters regularly shouted 'Death to America' and 'Death to the Shah' outside the U.S.

Ī conference named 'Long Live Death to America' held on Novemat Tehran University explores historical reasons for chanting the slogan. Following a meeting with Army and Air Force commanders, Khamenei declared that the Iranian people are not against American people, but that 'Death to America' means down with American leaders, in this case Donald Trump, John Bolton, and Mike Pompeo. In a speech to university students, Iran's Supreme Leader, Khamenei, interpreted the slogan as 'death to the U.S.'s policies, death to arrogance'. government's hostile policies towards Iran and expresses outrage at those policies, and does not wish for literal death for American people themselves. Iranian officials generally explain that the slogan in its historical context has been provoked by U.S. The chant 'Death to America' has come to be employed by various anti-American groups and protesters worldwide. In most official Iranian translations, the phrase is translated into English as the less crude 'Down with America'. The literal meaning of the Persian phrase 'Marg bar Āmrikā' is 'Death to America'. He opposed the chant for radio and television, but not for protests and other occasions. Ruhollah Khomeini, the first Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, popularized the term. It has been used in Iran since the inception of the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

It is used in Iran, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Pakistan. Two protesters in Iran tearing an American flag at an anti-American rally.ĭeath to America ( Persian: مرگ بر آمریکا, romanized: Marg bar Āmrikā) is an anti-American political slogan and chant.