An Iranian reporter landed his station in hot water after he accidentally said “Death to Khamenei” during a televised celebration of the Islamic Revolution’s 47th anniversary.
Musab Rasoulizad was covering the rally on Wednesday in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province when he was repeating the chants heard in the crowd and mistakenly repeated a famous anti-regime cry aimed against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Marg bar Khamenei,” Rasoulizad said, which is Arabic for “Death to Khamenei.”
The moment quickly went viral, with state officials immediately condemning Rasoulizad and firing his boss over the blunder.
“The broadcast director of Hamoun provincial TV channel has been dismissed following an error that occurred on the provincial network,” the Saudi state-owned Al Arabiya outlet quoted Iran’s state television authority.
“The transmission operator and broadcast supervisor were suspended. Other staff found at fault were also referred to the disciplinary committee,” officials added.
Rasoulizad offered an apology afterwards, saying the moment was just a “slip of the tongue and blunder” that has now gone viral among anti-regime protesters, according to Al Arabiya.
Rasoulizad’s mistake has been paired up with another viral incident that took place during the anniversary celebration, where a mosque sermon uttered the same phrase as well.
Video from inside Iran captured the moment a voice on a loudspeaker was reiterating famous, nationalist chants, including “Death to America,” when the announcer accidentally says, “Death to Khamen—” before being cut off.
Those witnessing the moment could be heard laughing at the blunder.
Despite the embarrassing moments, Khamenei hailed Wednesday’s nationwide celebrations as a testament to his nation’s unity following last month’s protests calling for an end to his regime.
“National unity is of great value. Let us all strive to preserve this cohesion and national solidarity,” Khamenei wrote on X.
