America can't do a damn thing against us
{{Short description|Slogan by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini}}
File:25th Death Anniversary of Ruhollah Khomeini (13930314 4526610).jpg's speech position on 25th Death Anniversary of Ruhollah Khomeini in his mausoleum, 4 June 2014. ]]
"America can't do a damn thing against us" ({{langx|fa|آمریکا هیچ غلطی نمیتواند بکند|Âmrikâ hič ğalati nemi-tavânad bekonad}}) is a slogan originally used by the former Iranian supreme leader Ruhollah Khomeini during the Iran hostage crisis.{{cite book|last=Limbert|first=John W.|title=Negotiating with Iran: Wrestling the Ghosts of History|url=https://archive.org/details/negotiatingwithi00limb|url-access=registration|year=2009|publisher=US Institute of Peace Press|isbn=978-1-60127-043-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/negotiatingwithi00limb/page/170 170]–}} It was used for the first time to assure the Iranians that the United States would not be able to restore the ousted Shah of Iran back to the Iranian throne. The statement then became an unofficial slogan for the Iranian Revolution, which resulted in the establishment of an Islamic Republic under Khomeini's rule.{{cite news|last1=Clawson|first1=Patrick|title=Iran Can't Agree to a Damn Thing|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2013/02/20/iran-cant-agree-to-a-damn-thing/|access-date=30 January 2016|work=Foreign Policy|date=20 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216045615/http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/02/20/iran-cant-agree-to-a-damn-thing/|archive-date=16 February 2016|url-status=live}}
Application
Responding to Iran's request for extradition of the Shah of Iran, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, United States president Jimmy Carter provided for the Shah's travel plans to Panama. By doing so, Carter sought to eliminate the possibility of the extradition in exchange for hostages who were held by the revolutionary Iran for 444 days (4 November 1979 – 20 January 1981) after a group of Iranian revolutionary students affiliated with Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line broke into and entered the Embassy of the United States, Tehran, and took its diplomatic staff hostage. This in turn had been an action in response to the United States offering political asylum to the Shah.{{cite book|last1=Chalk|first1=Peter|title=Encyclopedia of Terrorism (2 volume set)|date=2012|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0313308956|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=czK7lIU7m1oC&q=were+held+hostage+for+444+days+%28November+4%2C+1979%2C+to+January+20%2C+1981%29+after+a+group+of+Iranian+students+belonging+to+the+Muslim+Student+Followers+of+the+Imam%27s+Line+who+supported+the+Iranian+Revolution%2C+took+over+the+U.S.+Embassy+in+Tehran&pg=PT1000|access-date=2024-09-09|archive-date=2023-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923062526/https://books.google.com/books?id=czK7lIU7m1oC&q=were+held+hostage+for+444+days+%28November+4%2C+1979%2C+to+January+20%2C+1981%29+after+a+group+of+Iranian+students+belonging+to+the+Muslim+Student+Followers+of+the+Imam%27s+Line+who+supported+the+Iranian+Revolution%2C+took+over+the+U.S.+Embassy+in+Tehran&pg=PT1000|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.magiran.com/ppdf/nppdf/2827/p02827211700061.pdf|title=Firm responses to void threats - Imam Khomeini said: America can't do a damn thing against us.|work=Kayhan|date=30 September 2015|access-date=1 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216192620/http://www.magiran.com/ppdf/nppdf/2827/p02827211700061.pdf|archive-date=16 February 2016|url-status=live}}
A week after the incident, the sheets and finances of Iran were confiscated by the United States.{{clarify|date=February 2016}} Yet, in spite of what were deemed by Iran to be international threats, there was still the possibility of holding trials for alleged American spies, and the reaction of Khomeini against the threat of Carter{{clarify|date=February 2016}} published regularly by international media, was the slogan "America can't do a damn thing against us". The slogan appeared on many walls and banners such as a billboard along the Iran-Iraq border, and a banner which was hung in front of the captured drone as part of the Iran–U.S. RQ-170 incident. The slogan was also used by Ali Khamenei, Khomeini's successor as the Supreme Leader of Iran,{{cite news|last1=Winer|first1=Stuart|title=Khamenei to US: Your military 'can't do a damn thing' to us|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-leader-puts-kibosh-on-talks-under-us-threat-of-attack/|access-date=30 January 2016|work=Times of Israel|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131133555/http://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-leader-puts-kibosh-on-talks-under-us-threat-of-attack/|archive-date=31 January 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Staff|title=America can't do a damn thing|language=fa|url=http://farsi.khamenei.ir/audio-content?id=29938|website=KHAMENEI.IR|access-date=31 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115204254/http://farsi.khamenei.ir/audio-content?id=29938|archive-date=15 January 2016|url-status=live}} or alluded to in varied form.{{cite news|last1=Karami|first1=Arash|title=Khamenei: Iran rejected US offer to cooperate against IS|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/09/iran-rejects-us-offer-cooperate-is.html|access-date=31 January 2016|work=Al-Monitor|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116151744/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/09/iran-rejects-us-offer-cooperate-is.html|archive-date=16 January 2016|url-status=live}} It was also used by some other Iranian officials.{{cite news|title=Iran: Obama 'can't do a damn thing'|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna36212348|access-date=31 January 2016|work=NBC news|agency=Associated Press|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225080802/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/36212348/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/iran-obama-cant-do-damn-thing/|archive-date=25 February 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Staff|title=Ahmadinejad: U.S. Can't Do "Damn Thing" on Nukes|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ahmadinejad-us-cant-do-damn-thing-on-nukes/|access-date=31 January 2016|work=CBS News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216101722/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ahmadinejad-us-cant-do-damn-thing-on-nukes/|archive-date=16 February 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Staff|title=Only Iran is confronting Islamic State, paramilitary chief says|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-iraq-iran-idUSL5N0YG0MK20150525?rpc=401|access-date=31 January 2016|work=Reuters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216102559/http://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-iraq-iran-idUSL5N0YG0MK20150525?rpc=401|archive-date=16 February 2016|url-status=live}}
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://lib.eshia.ir/50080/10/149 The lecture of Ayatollah Khomeini in which he used the slogan for the first time]
{{Ruhollah Khomeini}}
{{Iran–United States relations}}
Category:Political terminology of Iran
Category:Iranian political phrases
Category:Anti-American sentiment in Iran