Iran officials burn U.S. flag, Gulf states back Trump decision on nuclear deal

by WorldTribune Staff, May 9, 2018

As Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies on May 9 were welcoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, members of Iranian parliament were burning the American flag in protest.

Iranian parliament members burn an American flag on May 9. / AP

“Iran used economic gains from the lifting of sanctions to continue its activities to destabilize the region, particularly by developing ballistic missiles and supporting terrorist groups in the region,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, tweeted, “Iran interpreted the JCPOA as concurrence of its regional hegemony. An aggressive Iran was emboldened as a result & its ballistic missile program became both offensive & exportable.”

In Teheran, meanwhile, members of Iran’s parliament burned an American flag and the text of the Iran deal while calling out “death to America.”

Related: President Trump ‘nukes’ Iran deal: Full text, May 8, 2018

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said that Trump’s policy “threatens world security,” according to a report by Kan Bet radio.

“He does not have the intellectual capability to deal with the issues confronting him,” Larijani added. “What he did was in violation of an international treaty.”

Saudi Arabia said it supported Trump’s move to reimpose sanctions on Iran and urged the international community to work toward a “comprehensive view that is not limited to its nuclear program but also includes all hostile activities.”

In announcing the U.S. was withdrawing from the JCPOA on May 8, Trump said “We will not allow American citizens to be threatened with destruction, and we will not allow a regime that chants ‘death to America’ to gain access to the most deadly weapons on Earth.”


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