Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
The video circulating online is being falsely linked to the current conflict between Israel and Iran
Claim: Members of the Iranian parliament burned the US flag and threatened to use a nuclear bomb against America.
Rating: MISSING CONTEXT
Why we fact-checked this: The video, posted on June 19, has already received 2.3 million views, 13,800 shares, 6,000 reactions, and 1,100 comments as of writing.
Its caption says, “In Iranian Parliament, MPs (members of parliament) burn the American flag while chanting ‘Death to America,’ and threaten to use a nuclear bomb against the American homeland.”
The post did not mention when the burning of the flag happened, but the video was uploaded amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, leading some social media users to believe that the incident at the Iranian parliament is a new development in the ongoing conflict.
One Facebook user raised alarm, saying “Naku baka lalung lumala at lumake ang giyera it might become world war three indeed.”
(Oh my, the war might get worse, it might become World War Three indeed.)
The facts: The video circulating online is from 2018 and is not a new development in the current conflict between Israel and Iran.
The Iranian lawmakers’ burning of the US flag happened on May 9, 2018, a day after US President Donald Trump announced the US’ withdrawal from a landmark multilateral nuclear deal with Iran.
The Iran nuclear deal is an agreement made in 2015 between Iran and six world powers — the US, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, Germany, plus the European Union — to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting economic sanctions, allowing Iran to sell its oil and gas worldwide.
Trump said in 2018 that the deal was flawed, adding, “We cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement…We will not allow American cities 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.”
The circulation of the 2018 video has misled several Facebook users into thinking that the Iranian lawmakers’ actions are linked to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. The US, a known ally of Israel, joined the war on June 21, after striking Iran’s nuclear sites.
Iran-Israel conflict: The recent conflict between Iran and Israel started on June 13, after the latter launched surprise attacks that killed top Iranian military officials and damaged nuclear sites, a measure it says was meant to prevent Iran from allegedly developing an atomic weapon.
On June 23, Trump said Israel and Iran agreed on a ceasefire to end the 12-day war. Just hours later, however, Israel’s military said Iran launched waves of missiles on Tuesday, June 24, with emergency services reporting three people killed.
Previous fact-checks: Rappler has previously debunked similar claims about Iran and Israel:
– Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com
Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024.
This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time
