Iranians go out to protests and in the dark responded to the call of the son of the last Iranian Shah, Reza Pahlavi, living in exile in the United States, who is called the “crown prince.” He called on protesters to continue street demonstrations for two more nights and take over city centers, and called on energy and transport workers to launch nationwide strikes.
He also said he was preparing to return to Iran, vowing to support the Iranian people in what he called the victory of a “national revolution,” adding that he believed that moment was fast approaching.
In Tehran, protesters hung a historical flag with a sun and a lion. They chant “Khamenei is a murderer, his rule is illegal” (we are talking about Ayatollah, Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei) and the monarchical slogan “Long live the Shah.”
Social media users reported that X replaced the Iranian flag emoji with the historical symbol of a lion and sun. The previous emoji reflected the flag of the Islamic Republic, which features the red emblem introduced after the 1979 revolution.
In Iran, authorities block the Internet and mobile communications and use force against protesters. According to the latest data from human rights activists, at least 51 people have already died during the protests.
Context
In Iran, starting from December 28, 2025, massive anti-government protests against the backdrop of economic problems in the country. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called the protesters “rebels” and called for a crackdown.
Clashes occurred between protesters and law enforcement officers, which, as he writes Reuters, became the bloodiest in the last three years. By data Human Rights Activists News Agency, as of January 8, at least 42 people have died as a result of the demonstrations, including at least four intelligence officers. More than 2,260 people were detained.
January 2 US President Donald Trump threatened to interfere in case of suppression of peaceful protests.
On January 8, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called on Ukrainians to leave Iran due to security threats.
