A Sky News Australia television host turned heads across the globe Saturday when she addressed the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with a sharp, profanity-laced declaration delivered in her native Persian language.
Rita Panahi, host of “The Rita Panahi Show” on Sky News Australia, looked directly into the camera and spoke to the fallen Iranian leader in Persian.
“You son of a b—h, shame on you, burn in hell!” Panahi declared, in a clip that spread rapidly across social media platforms.
The video, shared by multiple accounts on X, accumulated more than 100,000 views within hours of its posting Saturday.
A chyron displayed at the bottom of the screen during the segment read: “RITA’S TAKE ON STRIKES ON IRAN.”
Panahi opened the segment by telling viewers it would be brief.
“This will be the shortest editorial I’ll ever deliver,” she said on air.
“All I have to say is that after 47 years of Islamist tyranny, the dictator is dead and Iran is on the verge of being liberated.”
She added that she “never thought I would see this day in my lifetime.”
Panahi also offered praise toward President Donald Trump, crediting him with “courage” for taking a “risk” in ordering military action against Iran.
Khamenei had ruled the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1989. He was killed late Saturday in a large-scale joint U.S.-Israeli military offensive that struck his fortified compound in central Tehran, according to Iranian state media and Western reports.
The operation, referred to by officials as “Operation Epic Fury,” involved coordinated air and missile strikes, the New York Post reported.
Officials said the mission relied on real-time intelligence gathered from a rare leadership meeting that morning, enabling forces to act with maximum surprise.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump both confirmed publicly that the compound had been destroyed and that Khamenei had been killed.
Reports indicated that approximately 40 senior Iranian officials also died in the strikes, Resist the Mainstream previously reported.
Panahi was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to Iranian parents. Her family returned to Iran during her early childhood, where she lived on the coast before the family relocated to Tehran by 1979.
In 1984, Panahi’s family fled Iran and emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, where she was raised as a refugee.
She has spoken publicly on multiple occasions about her opposition to the Islamic Republic and the regime’s treatment of women.
Saturday’s remarks represented one of the most direct and personal condemnations she has delivered against the Iranian leadership on television.
The clip shows Panahi seated on a Sky News set with two male panelists beside her. The network’s tagline — “REAL NEWS, HONEST VIEWS” — was visible beneath the segment.
Panahi hosts multiple programs on Sky News Australia, including “The Rita Panahi Show” and “Lefties Losing It.” She also appears regularly on the Sunday panel program “Outsiders.”
Her presence on social media is substantial, with more than 500,000 followers on X.
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