Video of Iran parliamentarians saying 'Death to America' is not related to Israel-Hamas war

On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants conducted an unprecedented surprise strike into Israeli settlements near the Gaza Strip. In retaliation for the attack, Israel carried out airstrikes in Gaza, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel is now at war with Hamas. Many false and misleading narratives and videos are circulating as the conflict escalates.

The claim

One such video of a CNN news broadcast showing lawmakers chanting slogans against the United States in the Iranian parliament is being widely shared on social media. An X user shared the video (archive here) with the caption, “Happening now - Iran yelling “Death to America!” I guess $6 BILLION WASN’T ENOUGH!.” The post received over 1 million views and about 2,000 reshares. 

An image of the viral clip was also shared in an article published by news outlet Times Now (archive here), with the headline "Iran Parliament Chants 'Death To Israel And America' Amid Hamas Attack" on October 7, 2023. The Times Now report stated, "Iran parliament members were seen chanting 'Death to Israel! Death to America!' amid Palestinian group Hamas' attack on Tel Aviv. A video of the lawmakers shouting slogans was circulated on social media." 

The clip also went viral on Facebook (archive here) with the caption, “BREAKING RIGHT NOW: Iran’s parliament is chanting “Death to Israel! Death to America!” as their terror cells massacre Israeli women and children. JOE BIDEN just gave this regime $6 BILLION & a pathway to nuclear weapons. EVIL!!!!!!!!.”

Screenshots of claims made online (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this video is old and unrelated to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

What did we find?

A search using the terms "Iranian Lawmakers Chant 'Death To Ameria" led us to a longer version of the viral video on YouTube published by CNN on January 5, 2020. The video was titled “Lawmakers chant 'death to America' in Iranian parliament.” The description of the video states, “The military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader said that his country's response to the killing by the United States of one its most influential commanders will certainly be a military response "against military sites.”

Screenshot of CNN news report (Source: YouTube/CNN)

The same clip was also published by the American news outlet USA Today on January 5, 2020. The description of the video reads, “Members of the 290-seat Iranian parliament raise a fist and chant 'death to America' to protest the death of Qasem Soleimani.” The video was taken three years ago, in 2020, in response to the death of the top Iranian commander, Qassem Soleimani, by the U.S. military. This shows that the video is unrelated to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

According to a report by CNN, Qassem Soleimani was an Iranian military commander who was killed in a U.S. drone strike on January 3, 2020, near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. His death had significant repercussions in the region at that time, escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.

Iran, which has historically supported Palestine, has called the October 7, 2023, attacks “an act of self-defense by Palestinians.” According to a Reuters report, parliament members in Iran chanted slogans against Israel and in support of Palestine in the parliament, as Iranian news channels showed. However, there is no such report that they also chanted slogans against the U.S. 

 The verdict

A three-year-old video from the Iranian Parliament has been shared as a recent event amid the escalating war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.