Rome, August 7: The social media post by Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani featuring Iran’s old flag has sparked significant discussion. Following the growing attention, the minister deleted the emoji of the pre-Islamic Revolution flag from his account and shared a revised post. The Foreign Ministry later clarified the situation, attributing the change to a technical issue.
On Thursday, Italy’s Foreign Ministry informed Iran International Media, “The post was altered solely for technical reasons. It cannot be linked to any other motives or external communications, appeals, or pressures.”
Tajani had initially shared a post on the social media platform X, which included an emoji of the lion and sun emblem from Iran’s flag while announcing a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. After the post garnered considerable attention, it was deleted and republished without the emoji.
The lion and sun symbol was part of Iran’s national flag before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Recently, this emblem has gained popularity again, with Iranian media reporting that it is being widely used by opponents of the Islamic Republic.
Discussions about changing Iran’s flag intensified amid ongoing protests in the country that began in early 2026. A video surfaced in January showing a protester tearing down the current flag at the Iranian embassy in London while holding the pre-revolution flag.
Additionally, Israel’s War Room shared a post featuring the old lion and sun flag, raising speculations about the potential downfall of Khamenei’s government. The post included the caption “soon,” further fueling these concerns.
On the social media platform X, a user requested the emoji of the Iranian flag be replaced with the pre-revolution version, leading to extensive discussions about the flag. In this context, the Israeli War Room also made a related post.
When the monarchy was in power in Iran, the national flag was green, white, and red, adorned with the lion and sun emblem. Currently, this old flag is favored by many protesters on the streets.
After the 1979 Revolution, the clerical-led government replaced the lion and sun emblem with a new coat of arms and inscribed “Allahu Akbar” on the inner edges of the stripes.
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