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Iranian lawmakers set paper US flag ablaze at parliament

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Wednesday, 09 May, 2018, 12:50
Iranian lawmakers set paper US flag ablaze at parliament

Iranian hard-line lawmakers lit a paper U.S. flag on fire at parliament Wednesday after President Donald Trump’s nuclear deal pullout, shouting, “Death to America!”

The impromptu demonstration reflected broad public anger in Iran after Trump’s decision, which threatens to destroy the 2015 nuclear accord. While Iranian officials, including the parliament speaker, say they hope Europe will work with them to preserve the deal, many are pessimistic.

The lawmakers, including a Shiite cleric, held the flaming flag alight as their colleagues joined their chants. They also burned a piece of paper representing the nuclear deal and stomped on the papers’ ashes.While U.S. flag-burning is common in Iran and harsh criticism of America has been a staple of Iranian parliamentary politics for years, it was the first time political observers could remember anything being burned inside the parliament itself.

Iranian lawmakers set paper US flag ablaze at parliament