Iran Protests: Massive Unrest Revives Lion-Sun Flag Against Khamenei Regime | Explained

Iran's ongoing regime change protests have entered into their second week, with demonstrators flooding streets nationwide to challenge theocratic rule. Protesters revive the pre-1979 Lion and Sun flag, symbolising hopes for a return to ancient Persian monarchy and national pride over Ayatollah Khamenei's theocracy.

Representative Image (Image: X)

Massive anti-regime protests continue across Iran enter second week amid blackouts and clashes. The protest spans all 31 provinces and nearly 285 locations in more than 80 cities, with crowds in Tehran chanting the slogan “Death to Khamenei” and waving the pre-1979 Lion and Sun flags.

The recent protest has erupted since early January 2026, with demonstrators blocking highways, torching regime buildings, and defying internet blackouts, with exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi urging persistence against the Islamic Republic’s forces firing live rounds on unarmed crowds, including children, primarily in Tehran and Mashhad,  which has become the epicenter of the ongoing protests.

While the Supreme leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly branded protesters as 'vandals,' 'troublemakers,' and 'enemy mercenaries' truing to 'please US President Trump.'

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The 1979 Iranian Revolution: Shah's Fall to Khomeini's Rule

The 1979 Revolution toppled Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi after months of riots fueled by inflation, repression, and Islamist fervor led by Ayatollah Khomeini, who returned from exile to establish the theocratic Islamic Republic, executing opponents and imposing strict Sharia.

Why Protesters Want The Shah Era Back?

From 1941-1979, Shah Pahlavi’s Pahlavi dynasty modernised Iran via the White Revolution, land redistribution, women’s suffrage, rapid industrialisation, nuclear programs, and literacy jumps, which spiked from 15% to 70%, fostering a pro-Western, secular society with booming oil wealth until corruption and SAVAK secret police alienated the public.

Lion-Sun Flag Returns: Symbol of Pre-1979 Secular Iran vs Theocracy

Protesters prominently display the Lion and Sun flag, Iran’s ancient emblem since the 12th century Safavid era; a crowned lion symbolising strength and the Feridun myth with a sword under a radiant sun symbolising light and the zodiac sign leo, on green-white-red stripes, symbolising the ancient Persian monarchy, nationalism.

The ongoing protests have brought back the ancient era lion and sun symbol flag, showing rejection of the post- revolution era Ayatollah Khamenei-led theocratic governance and reviving the hope for secular, non- religious Iran.