As protests driven by an economic crisis intensify across Iran, social media platform X has replaced the country’s official flag emoji with the historic Lion-and-Sun emblem, a change users observed on Friday. The update comes amid widening unrest, internet restrictions, and growing political tension inside the country.
Jeremy Bier, an engineer at the company, said Thursday the updated emoji would start appearing on the web version after Friday.
The Lion and Sun symbol was used on Iran’s flag for centuries before it was removed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since then, Iran’s official flag has carried a red emblem introduced by the Islamic Republic. On X, this newer design has now been replaced by the older one.
In recent years, the Lion and Sun has been used by some protesters and opposition supporters as a symbol of resistance to Iran’s current leadership. The emoji update comes at a time when protests against the current regime are continuing across Iran. There have also been reports of widespread internet and communication disruptions. Users on social media noticed the change on Friday.
The updated flag is now visible even on official X accounts run by Iranian government officials and state-linked media.
The change removes the red emblem adopted after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and restores the Lion-and-Sun symbol that appeared on Iranian flags for centuries under the monarchy. The update applies across the platform, meaning even accounts linked to the Iranian state now display the pre-revolutionary symbol.
Accounts affected include those of Iranian officials and state-linked outlets such as Tasnim News. By Friday evening, the new emoji appeared to be live, including on Iran’s foreign ministry account.
