Secretary of State John Kerry downplayed Iran's eliminationist rhetoric toward America and Israel on Friday, calling it "pretty stupid."
"Did you ever ask them [the Iranians] to stop calling for the destruction of Israel?" an audience member at the Council on Foreign Relations asked Kerry.
"Yes, to the last," Kerry said. "I also told them that their chants of 'Death to America' and so forth are not helpful and are pretty stupid. So we absolutely discussed those things."
Iran has called for the destruction of the United States and Israel since its revolutionary inception in 1979. The Islamic Republic even celebrates a holiday, Al-Quds Day, that is devoted to the elimination of the two countries. This year's Quds Day festivities attracted millions of revelers.
Critics of the Obama administration's nuclear agreement with Iran say that administration officials have been too dismissive of its negotiating partner's hateful rhetoric. Kerry has brushed past this criticism by saying Iran's rhetoric is intended only for "domestic political consumption."