Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, said Friday that when his country uses the phrase “Death to America,” it means “death” to President Donald Trump and several top U.S. officials, The New York Times reported.
“‘Death to America’ means death to Trump,” along with national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Ayatollah Khamenei said Friday, adding, “It means death to American leaders, who happen to be these people at this time.”
The Trump administration withdrew from the nuclear agreement made with Iran, arguing that the country had not complied with the accords. The U.S. also reimposed economic sanctions on Iran and increased measures to affect the country’s leadership.
His official website, Khamenei.ir, quotes Ayatollah Khamenei as saying that “Death to America” will continue to be used in Iran’s official discourse until the U.S. changes its “evil and mean” methods.
Ayatollah Khamenei also criticized the European Union for the conditions it set on a payments vehicle known as the Instrument for Supporting Trade Exchanges, which is supposed to help avoid sanctions set on Iran by the United States.
“These days there is talk about Europeans and their offers. My advice is not to trust them, just like with the Americans,” Ayatollah Khamenei told senior Army Air Force officers during a meeting on Friday. “I’m not saying cut ties with Europe; it is about trust.”
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