Iranian Regime Seeks To Reclaim Lion And Sun Symbol Embraced By Protesters – Analysis

By Mani Parsa

Reeling from massive demonstrations, Iran’s theocratic rulers are scrambling to reclaim the traditional Lion and Sun symbol, which has been embraced by anti-regime demonstrators.

Ali Akbar Salehi, director of the government-run Iranology Foundation, asserted on February 8 that the Islamic republic owns the Lion and Sun symbol -- and condemned its use by "others."

The Lion and Sun has long been one of Iran's enduring national symbols, in use until the country's 1979 Islamic revolution.