Iranian cleric urges ‘Death to America’ chants until US comes to its senses

A senior Iranian cleric has called for the continued use of the “Death to America” slogan, saying it should be chanted “as long as the United States has not come to its senses.”

Ahmad Khatami, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts and Tehran’s interim Friday prayer leader, made the remarks on Saturday during a speech in Tabriz, asserting that US hostility stems from opposition to Islam itself.

“America does not oppose this or that person,” Khatami said. “Based on verses from the Quran, their problem is with Allah.”

US President Donald Trump has sent a message to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, demanding a new nuclear agreement within two months or face consequences if Iran expanded its program. Trump has said several times that the Islamic Republic should never obtain nuclear weapons.

The letter was described as firm in tone and was reportedly shared in advance with close US allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Tehran has acknowledged receiving the letter but has not commented publicly on its contents.

Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Friday that Iran used indirect channels to respond after the US president sent the letter.

“I’m not at liberty to talk about the specifics,” Witkoff said in an interview released on The Tucker Carlson Show. “But clearly through a, you know, back channels, through multiple countries and multiple conduits, they've reached back out.”

Khatami also warned that Washington’s broader goal was to “destroy the religion that has come alive in the region,” but insisted, “they will never achieve this dream.”

Khatami concluded by linking his call to Iran’s revolutionary ethos, saying Iranians “have never grown tired of resisting arrogance," referring to the United States.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Friday dismissed pressure for direct talks and emphasized Iran’s focus on deterrence. “Anyone who commits villainy against the Iranian people will be struck with a harsh slap,” he said.