Iran’s hard-liners, moderates clash over whether to honour deal

ISTANBUL— U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to abandon a nuclear deal with Iran has intensified a heated debate among Iranians over relations with the West, pitting proponents of the landmark accord and diplomacy more generally against staunch conservatives urging a harsh response.

The clash between the camps has played out in parliament, on social media and in the press since Trump announced an end to U.S. participation in the agreement Tuesday.

The deal was signed in 2015, under former president Barack Obama, curbing Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for widespread sanctions relief. Trump said his administration would again impose far-reaching sanctions against Iran, including on oil sales and the country’s banking sector. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the world’s nuclear watchdog, has repeatedly certified Iran’s compliance under the deal.

Reformist newspapers allied with President Hassan Rouhani praised the Iranian leader Wednesday for his diplomatic response to the crisis.

He said Iran was committed to the accord and he would dispatch his foreign minister to engage in talks with China, Russia and the European Union, which are also parties to the agreement. He said Iran could soon begin enriching uranium beyond levels afforded under the pact.

Iran’s conservatives, however, seized the opportunity to call for a full withdrawal from the deal they had long opposed. News agencies aligned with Iran’s hard-liners called for nixing the deal and unifying Iran to resist the United States. In a dramatic display on the floor of parliament, lawmakers set fire to both the text of the accord and an American flag, chanting “Death to America!”