Some Members of the Iranian Parliament Burn the American Flag

The United States' withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran has prompted predominantly harsh reactions from various officials of the Islamic Republic, to the extent that some members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly burned the American flag and a paper representing the JCPOA. According to Iranian domestic media, this action by several parliament members occurred during the morning session on Wednesday, May 8. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, officially announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Tuesday evening, issuing an executive order to reinstate suspended sanctions against Tehran. In his remarks, Trump labeled the Iranian government as the 'primary state sponsor of terrorism' and stated that the JCPOA lifted crippling sanctions against Iran in exchange for minimal restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities, while ignoring 'other nefarious actions of the regime.' In addition to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, who immediately reacted to the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in a televised speech on Tuesday night, many officials of the Islamic Republic also launched severe verbal attacks against the U.S. on Wednesday morning. In the first moments of the public session of Parliament on Wednesday, several representatives chanted 'Death to America' and burned the U.S. flag. Ali Larijani addressed Mohsen Kouhkan, a representative from Lanjan, saying, 'Be careful not to burn the Parliament.' Mojtaba Zolnour, a representative from Qom, also shouted while burning a paper he held, 'We have burned the JCPOA.' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, had said in June 2016, 'If the Americans tear up the JCPOA, we will burn it.' Larijani also stated in the Wednesday session, 'It seems that Mr. Trump lacks the rational capacity to resolve issues, and the language of force is more effective for such a person.' The Speaker of Parliament also referred to Rouhani's remarks about 'a few weeks' opportunity for the survival of the nuclear agreement,' indicating that 'Iran is not seeking adventurous behavior and reaction.' Senior military officials of the Islamic Republic were among the first to harshly criticize the U.S. on Wednesday morning. Major General Mohammad Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic, noted that 'the JCPOA was not desirable for the Iranian people from the beginning, and the Iranian people graciously accepted it,' stating, 'Last night's experience showed that although we may tactically follow others for a while, in the end, we must stand on our own feet.' Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also congratulated the U.S. withdrawal, emphasizing that 'the JCPOA had no credibility even before this.' The IRGC commander further noted the 'one to two-week opportunity' announced by the President, stating, 'The Europeans cannot make independent decisions between Iran and the U.S. and are dependent on America, and the fate of the JCPOA is clear.' This senior military official also described the issue of nuclear enrichment as a 'pretext,' stating, 'Their concern is military and missile power and Iran's influence in the region and regional resistance.' Abdul Rahim Mousavi, the commander of the Iranian Army, also expressed gratitude to God for the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. The commander of the Islamic Republic's Army stated, 'From the beginning, I believed that the greatest loss of the JCPOA was legitimizing sitting at a table and negotiating with the Americans, but the greatest benefit of the JCPOA was repeatedly proving their non-compliance with their commitments.' Hossein Ashtari, the commander of the Islamic Republic's Law Enforcement Force, also congratulated the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, stating, 'There must be some good and blessing in it.' The police commander described the U.S. President as 'someone who does not have a normal and ordinary state,' stating, 'There are also those inside who were hopeful about negotiating with them and that problems would be solved in this way, while the leader has repeatedly emphasized that we do not trust them.' Besides military officials, several other officials of the Islamic Republic also emphasized Iran's 'military capability' while congratulating the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. For instance, Aladdin Boroujerdi, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Parliament, stated that 'the Parliament is ready to approve the budget to support defense and missile programs.' Officials of Hassan Rouhani's government, including Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister, stated that the final response of the Islamic Republic regarding the continuation of the JCPOA would be determined 'after assessing the complete interests of Iran.'