Speculation has been rife in social media since the US team replaced Iran’s regular flag with an abstract version in reports from the World Cup.
On Twitter as well as Facebook and Instagram, the US now uses only the green, red and white Iranian flag. The Islamic emblem and text in the center of the official flag of Iran are missing.
Introduced after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, both the slogan and the text are associated with the hardline regime, which is now turning the world’s eyes on it after a backlash this fall to peaceful street protests.
The abstract version that the US is now spreading has been used by the opposition to distance itself from the regime. Before the revolution, Iran had a similar flag with a crest consisting of a lion and a sun in the middle, and it is now also used in contexts critical of the regime.
The US move is hotly debated online, with many interpreting it as support for the protests in Iran. But neither the United States nor Iran wants to comment on the flag change in the media channels of the American team.
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