Amid the escalating Israel-Iran conflict, several Filipino netizens circulated a clip showing members of the Iranian parliament burning a United States flag. The video is old and from 2018.
Since June 19, Filipino Facebook users have shared a video showing a group of Iranian legislators setting ablaze a paper flag of the U.S. in front of a conference hall. One of the posts carried the text:
“GRABI (sic) SINUNOG NG TAGA IRAN ANG FLAG NG AMERICA. GUSTO NILA NG DIGMAAN (INTENSE. IRANIANS BURNED THE AMERICAN FLAG. THEY WANT WAR).
Other Filipino FB users uploaded copies of the video. Some questioned the video’s legitimacy while others speculated it was generated through artificial intelligence.
The video needs context. The clip was taken in 2018 and not a recent development in the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict.
The international media organization Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty uploaded the original video on May 9, 2018.
According to the video’s caption, Iranian members of parliament in Tehran burned an American flag with the slogan “Death to America.”
This was in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement on May 8, 2018 scrapping the multilateral nuclear deal with Iran.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by Iran, the U.S. and other world powers in 2015 “placed significant restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.” Trump has withdrawn from the agreement for its failure to protect U.S. national security interests.
The video lacking proper context circulated four days after Israel launched air strikes against Iran’s nuclear program, prompting Tehran to strike back. The U.S. has since joined the conflict by launching attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has urged the concerned parties to “take the path of diplomacy and avoid further escalation.” According to Philippine Ambassador to Israel Aileen Mendiola, eight Filipinos have been injured in the Iran strikes.
Other foreign media organizations also debunked similar posts that circulated in their countries.
VERA Files has debunked other disinformation hounding the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.
Five posts from FB users and the FB page Murang Bahay Rent To Own (created on March 19, 2017 as Murang Bahay Rent To Own Pag Ibig Loan) collectively garnered 32,661 reactions, 4,249 comments, 18,204 shares and 5,790,000 views.
