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Death to America" is an anti-American political slogan widely used in Iran, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Russia, Pakistan, and North Korea. Originally used by North Korea since the Korean War, Ruhollah Khomeini, the first Supreme Leader of Iran, popularized the term. He opposed the chant for radio and television but not for protests and other occasions. The literal meaning of the Persian phrase "Marg bar Âmrikâ" is "Death to America". In most official Iranian translations, the phrase is translated into English as the less crude "Down with America". The chant "Death to America" has come to be employed by various anti-American groups and protesters worldwide.