Education

Iranian elite behavior undermines official anti-US messaging claims

Public slogans of hostility toward the US contrast sharply with reports of Iranian elites pursuing education and security in the West.

Saudi journalist and novelist Mohammed Alrotayyan criticizes Iranian elite hypocrisy in a post on his X account, sharing an image with an Arabic caption that reads: "In Iran, the parents raise the slogan 'Death to America,' [while] the children apply the slogan 'Life in America.'"
Saudi journalist and novelist Mohammed Alrotayyan criticizes Iranian elite hypocrisy in a post on his X account, sharing an image with an Arabic caption that reads: "In Iran, the parents raise the slogan 'Death to America,' [while] the children apply the slogan 'Life in America.'"

By Pishtaz |

The slogan "Death to America" has long defined official political discourse in the Islamic Republic regime, repeated in state ceremonies as resistance to Western influence.

This public rhetoric sharply contrasts with the private behavior of segments of the regime’s political elite across various power structures.

Many elites reportedly send their children abroad for education, residency, and long-term security in the United States and European countries.

This perceived duality fuels criticism that ideological messaging is selectively enforced at home while being quietly ignored in private elite behavior.

Reports over the years indicate regime officials and business elites maintain property, bank accounts, and family residences abroad across multiple jurisdictions.

Criticism extends beyond cultural observers into official regional positions expressed by neighboring governments and diplomatic institutions across the Middle East.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry stated that the Islamic Republic's regional actions contradict Islamic brotherhood values and undermine its broader religious legitimacy claims.

It further described these claims as "mere words," reflecting skepticism toward the alignment between rhetoric and political conduct.

Taken together, these observations suggest a widening divide between ideological messaging and lived reality within Iran’s political structure.

Slogans like "Death to America" function as tools of political mobilization and domestic legitimacy within the state governance framework.

However, elite behavior is widely interpreted as evidence of governance performance based on pragmatism rather than ideological consistency or uniform belief.

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