Iranians gathered across Iran Friday for the annual celebration of “Quds Day” to burn American and Israeli flags, chant “death to Israel,” and stone an effigy of the statue of liberty.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the Islamic Republic of Iran’s efforts in Iraq “helpful,” CNN reported June 28.
Al-Quds day is celebrated on the last Friday before the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, where Iranians stamp on American and Israeli flags in supposed solidarity with the Palestinian people. The protests in Tehran included hanging President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in effigy.
The Obama administration, along with five other nations, signed a nuclear deal with Iran to try and end its nuclear ambitions and softening Western relations with Iran. The deal hopes to encourage democratization by growing commercial relationships between the West and Iran.
Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist group, Hezbollah, planned on widespread celebration of Quds Day in southern Lebanon, but was forced to cancel after threats from Islamic State. Iran gives hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah, a crime for which it remains on the U.S. official state sponsors of terror list.
In mid-June, Iranian Airlines signed a deal with U.S. aviation company Boeing to modernize its outdated fleet. If reached, the deal would be the largest commercial relationship between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1979.
The Obama administrations deal has been heavily criticized for emboldening the Iranian regime. Iran routinely violates international sanctions prohibiting ballistic missile tests, funds U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, and helped kill U.S. soldiers during the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress a year ago, “I know the total number of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that were killed by Iranian activities, and the number has been recently quoted as about 500.”
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