Daily Express

Chanting politician­s burn American flag

- By John Ingham

MEMBERS of Iran’s parliament set the Stars and Stripes on fire and chanted “Death to America” yesterday after Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Tensions ran high as MPs showed their anger and disdain for the President’s controvers­ial decision.

The speaker of Iran’s parliament Ali Larijani dismissed the US move as “a diplomatic show” and told MPs: “Trump does not have the mental capacity to deal with issues.

“It is obvious that Trump only understand­s the language of force.”

Snakes

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Mr Trump a “silly, superficia­l” liar and warned him he had made a mistake.

Khamenei told the nation’s 80 million people: “He had maybe more than 10 lies in his comments. He threatened the regime and the people saying, ‘I’ll do this and that’.

“This man will turn to dust and his body will become food for snakes and ants. And the Islamic Republic will still be standing.”

Meanwhile Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani threatened to restart enriching uranium – a key element of a nuclear weapons programme – “without any limitation­s” in a matter of weeks.

And the head of Iran’s powerful Revolution­ary Guards, Maj Gen Mohammad Ali Jafari, vowed to strengthen the armed forces.

Mr Trump branded the Joint Comprehens­ive Plan of Action a “great embarrassm­ent” before he tore it up.

The move risked a rift with his main allies, who had made last-ditch appeals to him to save the agreement.

Ordinary Iranians reacted with anger and fear yesterday.

Teacher Morad Sabzevari, a 47-year-old father of two from the central city of Isfahan, said: “Trump’s speech was a declaratio­n of war. It means dark days and months ahead.”

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 ??  ?? Iranian MPs burn US flag and make provocativ­e gestures in parliament yesterday
Iranian MPs burn US flag and make provocativ­e gestures in parliament yesterday
 ??  ?? Ayatollah, above, said Trump told ‘lies’ and Rouhani warned of new nuclear threat
Ayatollah, above, said Trump told ‘lies’ and Rouhani warned of new nuclear threat
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 ??  ?? Trump pulled out of agreement
Trump pulled out of agreement

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