The following are excerpts from a speech given by Iranian leader Ali Khamenei that aired on Iran's Channel 1 on March 14, 2005.
Crowd: Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar. Khamenei is the leader. Death to those who reject the rule of the jurisprudent. Death to America. Death to England. Death to the hypocrites (Mojahedin-e Khalq) and Saddam. Death to Israel.
Khamenei: Our people say "death to America," and this is like saying "I seek God's refuge from the accursed Satan," which is recited before any chapter of the Koran, even before "In the name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful." Why is this? So the believer will never forget, even for a moment, the presence of Satan. So he will never forget, even for a moment, that Satan is ready to attack him and to destroy his spiritual shield and his faith... The saying "Death to America" is for this purpose.