Iran Protests: Massive Unrest Revives Lion-Sun Flag Against Khamenei Regime | Explained | World News
Massive anti-regime protests across Iran continue into a second week amid power outages and clashes. The protest covers 31 provinces and approximately 285 locations in more than 80 cities; Crowds in Tehran chant “Death to Khamenei” and wave pre-1979 Lion and Sun flags.
Recent protests have been breaking out since early January 2026; demonstrators block highways, set fire to regime buildings, and oppose internet blackouts; Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has been insisting that Islamic Republic forces fire live bullets into unarmed crowds, including children, especially in Tehran and Mashhad, which have become the epicenters of ongoing protests.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has repeatedly branded protesters ‘vandals’, ‘troublemakers’ and ‘enemy mercenaries’ trying to please US President Trump.
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1979 Iranian Revolution: Fall of the Shah to Khomeini Rule
The 1979 Revolution toppled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi after months of rebellions fueled by inflation, repression and Islamist fervor, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, who returned from exile to establish the theocratic Islamic Republic, execute dissidents and impose strict sharia.
Why Do Protesters Want Back the Shah’s Era?
Between 1941 and 1979, Shah Pahlavi’s Pahlavi dynasty modernized Iran through the White Revolution, land redistribution, women’s suffrage, rapid industrialization, nuclear programs, and literacy leaps from 15% to 70%, and promoted a pro-Western, secular society with increasing oil wealth until corruption and the SAVAK secret police alienated the population.
The Lion-Sun Flag Returns: Pre-1979 Secular Iran’s Symbol Against Theocracy
Protesters prominently display the Lion and Sun flag, Iran’s ancient emblem since the 12th-century Safavid period; the legend of Feridun with a crowned lion symbolizing power and a sword under a bright sun symbolizing light, and the lion sign on green-white-red stripes symbolizing the ancient Persian monarchy, nationalism.
The ongoing protests have brought back the flag of antiquity with its lion and sun symbols, signaling a rejection of theocratic rule led by Ayatollah Khamenei in the post-revolutionary era and reviving hope for a secular, non-religious Iran.
Also Read: ‘Seize the Cities, Hold Them’: Iran’s Exiled Crown Prince Calls for War as Anti-Khamenei Protests Continue
