Fact Check: Did Iranian lawmakers burn the US flag amid ongoing conflict?

TEHRAN, IRAN: Amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, a video has been circulating on social media platforms seeming to show lawmakers in Iran burning the US flag and shouting "Death to America," as a response to the military strikes carried out by the US and Israel. Let us analyse the viral video and fact-check the authenticity of the claim.

Claim: Iranian lawmakers burned the US flag after missile strikes

The video surfaced after America’s tensions with Iran escalated days after they reached a significant progress following negotiation talks in Geneva.

The video is shared with the claim that Iranian lawmakers are burning the American flag in the country’s parliament in response to the ongoing conflict in the region.

The clip has garnered millions of views and has been spread on various social media platforms such as X, Facebook, and Threads.

It has led some social media users to believe that the incident at the Iranian parliament is a new development in the ongoing conflict. 

Fact Check: The video is from 2018, unrelated to the current conflict

Although the video is authentic, it is unrelated to the ongoing conflict and is from 2018. 

The Iranian lawmakers’ burning of the US flag happened on May 9, 2018, a day after 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, including the US, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, Germany, and the European Union, to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting economic sanctions, allowing Iran to sell its oil and gas worldwide. 

The same video was previously surfaced in June 2025, during the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Iran military strikes escalate Middle East tensions

The video surfaced amid a series of strikes launched by Iran on February 28, 2026, targeting Israeli sites and multiple US military bases in the Middle East in response to the joint US-Israeli attack. 

According to Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency, the strikes hit the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, as well as major bases, including Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base and Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.

The US-Israeli military strikes in Iran are heightening regional tensions and fueling speculation online.