CNN host Erin Burnett said on Tuesday that there is a “friendliness” to Iranians who vehemently chant “Death to America.”

While reporting from Iran, Burnett said on “Inside Politics” that Iranians chanting “Death to America” have been “happy” to talk to her and other Americans. Despite Iranians calling for the “death” of the U.S., the CNN host said that the blatant anti-American slogan and the “friendliness” of Iranian citizens coincide.

“I remember, Dana [Bash], at one point being in Tehran years ago and they’re chanting ‘Death to America’ all around me even as I say ‘oh, I’m an American reporting for CNN’ and they were happy to speak to me,” Burnett said. “So, those two are sort of jarring realities of the chant, and the friendliness have existed together.”

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Iranians and others across the Middle East have chanted the anti-American slogan for several years, including in November 2023 when thousands in Iran gathered to celebrate the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Protesters burned American and Israeli flags and stomped on images of then-President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and carried banners that called the U.S. “Great Satan” to condemn the U.S.’s support of Israel.

Netanyahu urged President Donald Trump to launch strikes against Iran by pointing to the Iranians’ “Death to America” chants, arguing that Israel and the U.S. have a common enemy.

Trump announced the “very successful attack” on three Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday and urged Iran to seek peace in order to prevent future attacks. Iran retaliated by launching “powerful and destructive” missile attacks on American bases located in Iraq and Qatar.

After Trump announced that Israel and Iran agreed on a ceasefire deal, though Iran then broke the deal by launching missiles at Israel. The president told reporters on the White House’s south lawn on Tuesday that neither country knows “what the f*ck they are doing.”

Iran does not grant its citizens basic human rights and carries out harsh, brutal punishments for those who violate their laws. Since 1979, women have lived under the threat of being fined, imprisoned, or flogged if they violate its strict hijab regulation, which requires them to completely cover their hair in public.

In September 2022, Masha Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, died in the hospital after being beaten by the “morality police” for violating these regulations, sparking mass protests throughout the country. Security forces reportedly killed hundreds of protesters and arrested over 20,000 demonstrators, including journalists, who were present at the protests, according to the BBC.

Iranian law does not criminalize marital rape and exempts husbands, fathers and grandfathers who assault or kill a female relative for allegedly dishonoring the family, according to Impact Iran. A woman who falls victim to non-marital rape must prove the offense in court with a confession from the perpetrator or with testimony from at least four male witnesses, or be prosecuted herself since non-marital sex is illegal.

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