Iranian pilgrims chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” during the annual “Disavowal of Polytheists” ceremony held on Thursday in the plain of Arafat in Saudi Arabia, Iranian media reported.
The event, organized as part of Iran’s official Hajj program, took place in tents allocated to Iranian pilgrims and was attended by senior officials, including Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia and the country’s top Hajj representative.
Participants carried placards with slogans such as “Al-Quds is ours” and “Israel is absolute evil.”
The Islamic Republic of Iran has long regarded the “Disavowal of Polytheists” as a politically symbolic ritual, tying religious observance to opposition to perceived global oppressors. The chant “Death to America” has been a staple of the ceremony since it was first introduced after the 1979 revolution.
In 1987, the event led to a deadly confrontation between Iranian pilgrims and Saudi security forces, resulting in more than 400 deaths. Following that incident, the ceremony was suspended for several years and resumed in 2001 in a more restricted format. It is now conducted inside enclosed tents under Iranian supervision and coordinated with Saudi authorities.
"The rude and arrogant leaders of America repeatedly demand that we should not have a nuclear program. Who are you to decide whether Iran should have an enrichment?," Khamenei said during a televised speech.
“The US nuclear proposal contradicts our nation's belief in self-reliance and the principle of 'We Can',” he added, referring to a core slogan of the Islamic Republic's founder Rouhollah Khomeini.
Speaking at Khomeini’s mausoleum in southern Tehran, Khamenei added, “The first word of the US is that Iran should not have a nuclear industry and should rely on the United States.
“Our response to the US nonsense is clear: they cannot do a damn thing in this matter.”
The phrase echoed another famous slogan by Khomeini, "America can't do a damn thing against us," during the Iran hostage crisis shortly after the Islamic Revolution, which marked a nadir in US-Iran relations.
The US proposal for a new nuclear deal was presented to Iran on Saturday by Oman, which is mediating talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
After five rounds of talks, several issues remain, including Iran's insistence on maintaining uranium enrichment on its soil and Tehran's refusal to ship abroad its entire existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium -- possible raw material for nuclear bombs.
Trump has revived his so-called maximum pressure campaign against Tehran since his return to the White House in January, which included tightening sanctions. He also threatened to bomb Iran if the negotiations yield no deal.
During his first term in 2018, Trump pulled out of Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers and reimposed sanctions that have damaged Iran's economy significantly. Iran responded by escalating enrichment far beyond the pact's limits.
Khamenei emphasized that Iran would not abandon its enrichment work, despite Western pressure.
“Uranium enrichment is the backbone of our nuclear program,” he said. “They want to dismantle our nuclear program and weaken our national power. But the US will not be able to weaken our nuclear program."
Collapse of 2010 nuclear fuel deal
Khamenei added that the United States cannot be trusted to supply Iran with the nuclear fuel it needs for its fuel cycle, citing past instances of US and European unreliability in previous nuclear agreements.
“In the 2010s, we experienced the unreliability of the Americans — they broke their promise and did not provide 20% enriched fuel,” Khamenei said.
Khamenei was referring to a 2010 fuel swap agreement brokered by Turkey and Brazil, under which Iran was to exchange 1,200 kilograms of low-enriched uranium for 120 kilograms of fuel for its Tehran Research Reactor. Although based on a proposal from the US and its partners, the deal collapsed amid international mistrust and subsequent sanctions.
“Why are you interfering?” Khamenei said, addressing Washington. “Whether Iran enriches uranium or not — what does it have to do with you? Who are you?”
He defended Iran’s pursuit of a complete nuclear fuel cycle, saying that the country is among perhaps only ten in the world capable of achieving it. He emphasized that the nuclear industry serves broader scientific purposes beyond energy, describing it as a “parent industry.”
Tehran says it wants nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state enriching uranium to 60% U-235.
The IAEA has consistently maintained that there is no credible civilian use for uranium enriched to this level, which is a short technical step from weapons-grade 90% fissile material.
Senior officials double down on Khamenei's remarks
Hours after Khamenei’s speech, Iran’s foreign minister and nuclear chief reinforced the message, saying Iran will not bow to foreign pressure and will protect its nuclear gains.
“There is no scenario in which we will give up on the patriots who made our dream come true,” said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on X. “No enrichment, no deal. No nuclear weapons, we have a deal.”
Echoing the stance, Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami vowed to continue expanding Iran’s atomic program with “faith, revolutionary spirit, and heartfelt conviction.”
In a statement addressed to Khamenei, Eslami said, “Iran would stand against the excessive demands of the United States and other hegemonic powers.”
Iran open to regional consortium as hopes for deal narrow
On Tuesday, Axios cited a senior Iranian official as saying that Tehran is open to a nuclear agreement based on the idea of a regional uranium enrichment consortium, provided it is based in Iran.
CNN on Monday also reported that the next round of nuclear talks is “very uncertain and may not happen at all,” citing sources familiar with the negotiations. Reuters reported that Tehran was drafting a negative response to the US proposal.
According to the New York Times on Tuesday, the US has proposed allowing Iran to continue uranium enrichment at reduced levels, with the expectation that enrichment would fully stop once the regional consortium becomes operational.
The consortium would include countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and the US would help facilitate the construction of its nuclear facilities.
Citing Iranian and European officials, it added that while the idea signals a possible path toward resolving the long-running dispute, the details remain vague.
Two Iranian officials quoted by the newspaper said that while Iran is open to the consortium concept, they insist it must be located on Iranian territory -- possibly on Kish or Qeshm islands in the Persian Gulf.
The YouTube-based reality series, launched in April 2025, shows young Iranian singles in a luxury villa competing for love and money—formats banned by Iran's theocracy but now flourishing beyond its reach.
“This program is an insult to Iranians, an insult to women,” said conservative Iranian film critic Massoud Farasati. “This show is so vile that one feels ashamed just watching it.”
According to information publicly available on the show’s official website, Eternal Love (Love in Mansion) is produced in Turkey by M Networks Yapım Dağıtım A.Ş.
Filmed in Bodrum, Eternal Love features flirtation, alcohol, designer fashion and physical intimacy—routinely censored in Iranian media.
Cultural red lines push audiences, creators abroad
The Islamic Republic has long banned or restricted dating shows, romantic drama, and portrayals of relationships outside marriage.
Over the past four decades, even minimal depictions of dance, drinking or romance have led to the suppression of domestic shows in Iran.
The state regulators' red lines mean much of contemporary life especially for younger people is absent from official screens.
Two recent examples highlight the scope of the restrictions.
The series Tasian was suspended over brief scenes of dance and alcohol consumption. A film adaptation of Savushun—Simin Daneshvar’s acclaimed novel—was also taken off a domestic streaming platform on Thursday after its first episode featured women dancing, touching men, and sharing drinks at a gathering.
Some viewers said the excessive control explains the reality show's success.
“When domestic shows are banned over a few seconds of dancing, people turn to Eternal Love, where at least they can watch without censorship,” one user wrote on X.
The online newspaper Faraz drew a direct link between the two events. In a report titled From Savushun’s Ban to Eternal Love’s Rise: Censorship in the Age of Choice, the paper wrote: “The sudden halt of Savushun, coinciding with the undeniable surge of Eternal Love on YouTube, is a fitting moment to re-examine how the official system deals with social, emotional and cultural narratives.”
“Today’s audience no longer waits for the approval of regulatory bodies; they make their own choices and follow content on platforms that speak the language and rhythm of real life."
“In such a context, censorship and bans no longer act as deterrents—they become triggers for attention and, in some cases, forms of indirect advertisement.”
Yet some analysts voiced concern. “Eternal Love targets the weaknesses of Iranian culture and has presented itself on social media by riding a wave of illusion,” sociologist Alireza Sharifi Yazdi said in an interview with the Hamshahri newspaper.
“Such cultural engineering leads to the weakening of deep and healthy relationships among young people.”
Other viewers were less harsh. “Maybe it’s shallow,” one Instagram user commented, “but at least it shows something that exists in society—something no one dares to talk about.”
State silence meets public curiosity
Though Iran’s state media have remained silent on Eternal Love, its reach has grown rapidly. Within weeks of launch, the show topped Persian-language viewership charts on YouTube.
Host Parastoo Salehi, once a fixture of state television, dismissed the silence during a livestream: “When you attack something, people want to see it even more.”
She emphasized that she had no hand in developing the show’s format or selecting contestants.
“I just show up and talk,” Salehi said. “I'm not a psychologist. I'm just gabbing.”
Yet criticism persists. Actress Shohreh Soltani described the show’s name as an affront to classical notions of love. “Calling this ‘eternal love’ is a disgrace to the concept,” she said, referencing Iranian literary archetypes like Layla and Majnun.
Farhikhtegan, a conservative daily, called the show “filthy lust marketed as freedom.”
Gozare 24, in a separate editorial, argued: “It’s a mix of superficiality, vulgarity, and a distorted view of love and commitment. Yet its massive viewership, despite sharp criticism, shows how sensational and contrived content still captures attention.”
Revenue rises despite VPN access
Eternal Love has released 27 episodes on YouTube as of June 3, 2025. The first episode alone reached approximately 7 million views, while subsequent installments have each attracted between 3 and 4.5 million views.
YouTube compensates creators based on Cost Per Mille (CPM), with rates ranging from $2 to $12 per 1,000 views.
But because much of Eternal Love’s audience accesses the platform via VPNs from Iran—where ad targeting is limited and advertiser confidence is low—the effective CPM is likely near the lower end of the scale. After YouTube’s 45% share, creators typically retain 55% of revenue.
Conservative estimates would put their total YouTube revenue for the show from around $210,000 to $520,000, far below unsubstantiated guesses online of over $1 million in profits.
Mirror for a suppressed generation
As Iran’s cultural bureaucracy tightens its grip on domestic production, Eternal Love offers something different—not depth, say critics, but visibility.
For a younger generation raised under pervasive censorship, the show appears to reflect a version of lived experience, however stylized or exaggerated.
“There is a hunger for real representation,” wrote one user on X. “And if it cannot be created inside Iran, it will be created outside.”
Whether Eternal Love represents social reality or market-driven spectacle, its rise signals a shift.
In trying to silence depictions of romance and lifestyle, the Islamic Republic has not eliminated them—it has simply handed the narrative to others, filming abroad, funded by unknown parties' sponsors and streamed into Iranian homes via VPNs.
