Defying the US, Iran recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine

Iran's parliament voted on December 24 in favor of a bill recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. This move is believed to be in response to the US's recognition of the holy city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Jerusalem Holy Land. Photo: Reuters

According to news agencyRT,The recognition was passed in the Iranian parliament with 187 votes in favor, 15 votes against, and 9 abstentions.

With this result, the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine will become the content of Clause 1 of the new bill expressing Iran's support for the Palestinian state. The Iranian parliament is expected to discuss this bill in the next 2 days.

The move comes amid ongoing global turmoil over the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The UN General Assembly last week also voted to pass a resolution calling on the US to abandon this decision, stressing that the US decision is “null and void”.

Iran is one of the countries that opposes the US stance on the Jerusalem issue and urges the international community to block the US decision to "maintain world peace and security".

In a controversial move, on December 6, President Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and directed the embassy to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The US leader said the decision was aimed at promoting the peace process in the Middle East and that the US was still pursuing Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. Meanwhile, Arab officials criticized Washington's move as a "firebrand" that could fan tensions in the region.

According to Dan Tri