Flag of Iran
Three equal horizontal bands of green, white and red, with a red emblem in the centre. Allahu Akbar is written 22 times in white Kufic script, 11 times on the green band and 11 on the red.
What the flag means
The flag is set out in Article 18 of the constitution. The emblem, designed by Hamid Nadimi, is a stylised form of the word Allah made of four crescents and a sword. Its outline recalls a tulip, in memory of young Iranians who died for their country. The 22 inscriptions refer to 22 Bahman, the date of the revolution's victory in 1979.
History
Iran has used green, white and red since the Supplementary Fundamental Laws of 1907, which placed a lion and sun in the centre of the tricolour. After the 1979 revolution the new government saw the lion and sun as a symbol of the monarchy, and the Red Lion and Sun Society was renamed the Red Crescent Society. The old flags stayed in use until July 1980, when the current design was adopted.
In an interview with Rang magazine, Hamid Nadimi said his first draft of the inscription was rejected because it looked like the letters USA.
Earlier flags of Iran
- 1964–1979Tricolour with a crowned lion holding a sword before the sun
Flags that look like this one
Hungary is red, white, green from the top. Bulgaria is white, green, red. Iran is green, white, red with a red emblem. Tajikistan is red, white, green with a gold crown and stars.
Flags of Iran's neighbours
Sources
- Wikipedia: Flag of Iran
- Flags of the World: Iran
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Read how we research flags in our editorial policy, or report a mistake.
