The clip comes from the Iron Sheik, the Iranian professional wrestler who became a major heel in American wrestling during the 1980s. Performing as a proud Iranian character, he regularly praised Iran in promos and taunted American opponents and crowds. His Iran number one phrase became one of his signature catchphrases and outlived his championship run. Clips of his promos later circulated on meme pages and soundboards, where the line is now used less as a political statement and more as an exaggerated, comic declaration of being number one.