Iran lawmakers burn US flag in Parliament, cry "Death to America"

 

A handout picture provided by the Iranian Parliament on May 9, 2018 shows Iranian MPs burning a US flag in parliament in Tehran

Iranian lawmakers burned an American flag and cried "Death to America" in parliament on Wednesday to protest President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the multi-party nuclear deal.

Images shown on various Iranian media showed an MP brandishing the paper flag and burning it in the centre of the parliament chamber.

A conservative lawmaker, Mojtaba Zolnour, joined him and burned a copy of the nuclear agreement.

Several dozen deputies joined them in shouting "Death to America", a favoured slogan of Iranian conservatives.

"Be careful not to burn down the parliament," speaker Ali Larijani said from the podium.

Iranian officials have condemned Trump's decision to pull out of the 2015 deal, which had lifted sanctions in exchange for curbs to Iran's nuclear programme.