AP
Lawmakers in Iran set fire to a US flag on Wednesday, May 9.
- Lawmakers gathered in Iran's parliament building on Wednesday to express their anger at the US leaving the Iran deal.
- President Donald Trump removed the US from the accord the night before, and attacked Iran's "long reign of terror and chaos."
- Around 20 lawmakers set fire to a paper US flag and a copy of the deal. They chanted "death to America," the traditional anti-US slogan in Iran
- European governments want to salvage the deal, and Iran said it will continue to comply for now.
Members of Iran's parliament set fire to a US flag and chanted "death to America" after Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal.
Around 20 lawmakers gathered in the chamber early on Wednesday, the morning after Trump pulled out of the deal and attacked their government's "long reign of chaos and terror.
The hardline lawmakers, including at least one Shiite Muslim religious leader, chanted "Death to America," the traditional anti-US slogan in Iran, as they set the paper flag on fire.
Here is a video clip of the burning:
They also burned a copy of the Iran deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. After the papers had finished burning, the lawmakers stamped on their ashes.
Flag-burning and other displays of anti-US sentiment are common in Iran, but rarely make it inside the formal corridors of power in so visceral a form.
AP
Donald Trump holds up a copy of the memorandum he signed, enacting a US departure from the Iran deal.
Trump made a long television address on Tuesday afternoon explaining his decision to ditch the deal, which he described as "rotten and decaying."
US allies, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, said publicly that they disagreed with Trump's assessment and would continue to uphold the deal.
Hassan Rouhani, Iran's president, said that the country will continue to abide by the deal for now.
Read Business Insider's full coverage of the Iran deal here.
A number of Iranian MPs set the American flag & the #JCPOA on fire on the floor of #Iran's parliament while shouting "Down with America." The speaker of the parliament Ali Larijani jokes, "It doesn't [want] to catch on fire either!" #IranDeal pic.twitter.com/9ODlzBmyi5
- Reza H. Akbari (@rezahakbari) May 9, 2018
France, Germany, and the UK regret the U.S. decision to leave the JCPOA. The nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake.
- Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 8, 2018