Iranian authorities have dismissed a provincial television director after a reporter appeared to call for the death of the country’s supreme leader during a live broadcast of the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, AFP reported on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Wednesday in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, according to the news agency.
The reporter, Musab Rasoulizad, was providing a live description of the turnout at the rallies and repeating chants heard in the crowd, including “Allahu Akbar". However, he also said “Marg bar Khamenei" (Death to Khamenei), a phrase that is not typically heard at government-organized rallies, which usually feature chants such as “Death to America" and “Death to Israel."
Following the incident, state television announced that the director of Hamoun provincial TV, along with the transmission operator and broadcast supervisor, had been dismissed. Other staff involved were referred to the disciplinary committee.
The decision was made to "maintain professional discipline and safeguard the media’s reputation," according to the statement from state television.
In a later video, Rasoulizad apologized for what he described as a "slip of the tongue and a blunder which was broadcast and became a pre-text for anti-revolutionaries."
Wednesday’s rallies came weeks after large-scale anti-government protests erupted in December over rising living costs, continuing into January.
While Iranian authorities have reported that more than 3,000 people, including security forces and bystanders, died during the unrest, international organizations have reported a much higher toll, with the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) estimating that 7,002 people were killed, including 6,506 protesters.