Social media platform X is set to replace the current Iranian flag emoji with the historical “Lion and Sun” symbol.
The platform’s Head of Product, Nikita Bier, confirmed on Friday that the update is “in progress” and expected to go live on the web version by Saturday. The Lion and Sun motif was Iran’s national emblem for centuries before being removed after the 1979 revolution and is now widely used by the opposition.
Okay News reports that this digital shift occurs against a backdrop of intensifying unrest and a nationwide internet blackout. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating the demonstrations, citing social media posts by American officials as proof of foreign interference. However, Iran’s top Sunni cleric, Molavi Abdolhamid, attributes the uprising to severe economic hardship, warning that widespread hunger and looting of national resources have pushed citizens to their breaking point.
Globally, the crackdown has drawn sharp criticism. EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas condemned the regime’s “heavy-handed response,” describing the internet shutdown as a tactic used by a government afraid of its own people to hide brutality.
Meanwhile, US intelligence officials are reportedly “reassessing” the situation, with sources suggesting that the expanding protests may now pose a credible threat to the stability of the ruling system.
