Overview
- X executed the swap through a Twemoji update after a user request, with head of product Nikita Bier signaling the work and engineers noting a web rollout.
- The Lion-and-Sun now renders across the platform, including on state-linked outlets such as Tasnim and government profiles, though some later removed the emoji from their bios.
- The emblem’s reappearance underscores its role as an opposition symbol tied to Iran’s pre‑1979 monarchy and widely adopted by protesters and diaspora groups.
- Protests that began over economic collapse have spread across all provinces under internet and phone shutdowns, with HRANA reporting at least 72 killed and more than 2,300 detained.
- In London, a protester briefly replaced the Iranian embassy’s flag with the Lion-and-Sun; police made two arrests, increased deployments, and the official flag was later restored.