جام زهر

Persian

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نوشیدن جام زهر

Etymology

Referencing a 1988 speech by Ruhollah Khomeini regarding Iran's agreement that year to end the Iran–Iraq War, having made no gains despite extensive casualties:

va badâ be hâl-e man ke hanuz mânde-am va jâm-e zahr-âlud-e qabul-e qat'nâme râ sar kešide-am, va dar barâbar-e 'azamat o fedâkâri-ye in mellat-e bozorg ehsâs-e šarmsâri mi-konam […]

And woe to me that I am still alive and have quaffed the poison-filled chalice of accepting the resolution, and I feel shame facing the grandeur and the sacrifices of this great nation […]

Pronunciation

(Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [d͡ʒɒː.me zæɦɹ]

Readings
Iranian reading^?	jâme zahr

Noun

جامِ زَهر • (jâm-e zahr)

(Iran, politics) "poisoned chalice"; difficult decision which goes against one's beliefs or ideology, but must be made nonetheless