Iranian Lawmakers Defiant After Trump’s Strike on Nuclear Sites, Ceasefire Deal: ‘Death to America’

Iranian officials chanted “Death to America” as they voted to expel nuclear inspectors and accelerate uranium enrichment, following President Donald Trump’s bold strike on Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure — a move that also helped force a ceasefire and avert a prolonged regional war.

On Wednesday, Iran’s parliament passed a bill suspending cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) just days after U.S. forces executed an unprecedented strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. 

Lawmakers erupted into “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” chants as they approved the legislation, with Speaker Mohammad Qalibaf vowing the program would now move “more rapidly.”

“This industry is deeply rooted in our country and they will not be able to uproot it,” said Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi on Tuesday.

Top regime voices also made clear that Iran has no intention of backing down. 

Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told German media, “No one can tell us what to do,” adding that enrichment will continue under the guise of peaceful development.

In a warning posted to X, Supreme Leader adviser Ali Shamkhani declared: “The game isn’t over… The surprises will continue.”

On Monday, State broadcaster Amir-Hossein Tahmasebi addressed President Trump directly, saying: “We will enrich uranium to whatever level we choose… We will answer to no one.”

Lawmaker Amir Hossein Thabeti said bluntly: “The West must get accustomed to complete ambiguity regarding the Iranian nuclear program.”

On Thursday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei broke his silence to gloat that his regime had “delivered a hand slap to America’s face” and claimed “victory” over Israel, despite suffering direct hits from U.S. stealth bombers.

In his first public remarks since going into hiding on June 13, Khamenei appeared in a state TV broadcast to mock the United States, saying Washington only intervened to prevent the total collapse of the “Zionist regime.” 

Referring to Iran’s symbolic missile strike on a U.S. base in Qatar — which caused no casualties — he warned, “Such an action can be repeated in the future too. Should any aggression occur, the enemy will definitely pay a heavy price.”

These comments follow President Trump successfully brokering a regional ceasefire, halting weeks of escalation surrounding Iran’s nuclear enrichment violations.