In an interview with CBS' 60 Minutes Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the famous Friday ritual in which crowds in Tehran chant “Death to America!” is not meant to be taken personally - it's just a reaction to previous Washington policy decisions that hurt Iran.

Rouhani attempted to reassure CBS interviewer Steve Kroft and those Americans who point to the chant as evidence that perhaps the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran earlier this year might not be a spectacularly good idea:

“This slogan that is chanted is not a slogan against the American people. Our people respect the American people... The Iranian people are not looking for war with any country. But at the same time the policies of the United States have been against the national interests of Iranian people. It’s understandable that people will demonstrate sensitivity to this issue.

“When the people rose up against the Shah, the United States aggressively supported the Shah until the last moments. In the eight-year war with Iraq, the Americans supported Saddam.

“People will not forget these things. We cannot forget the past, but at the same time our gaze must be towards the future.”

Consider yourself reassured, America.