Iran’s tricolour—green, white, red—was redesigned on 29 July 1980 after the Islamic Revolution. A stylised emblem representing “Allah” sits centred; the takbir (Allahu Akbar) repeats 22 times along the inner edges of the green and red bands, marking 22 Bahman. Green denotes Islam, white peace, red courage and sacrifice. Ratio is 4:7 with strict legal specs for geometry, shades, and inscription. Desecration or misuse is prosecutable; protocol covers precedence, half‑masting, and dignified retirement.
Iran’s national flag synthesises centuries of Persian heraldic tradition with the ideological and legal architecture of the Islamic Republic. The modern tricolour traces its pedigree to 19th‑century Qajar usage of green‑white‑red bands, later bearing the Lion and Sun royal emblem. Following the 1979 Revolution, legislators replaced monarchical insignia with Islamic symbolism and codified detailed construction rules.
The law promulgated on 29 July 1980 fixed horizontal green, white, and red bands in a 4:7 proportion and introduced a central emblem—a highly stylised monogram that reads as “Allah,” while also evoking a tulip and elements of the phrase “La ilaha illa Allah.” Along the inner borders of the green and red stripes, the takbir (Allahu Akbar) appears 22 times in angular Kufic, commemorating 22 Bahman (11 February 1979), the climax of the revolution. These inscriptions are an integral design element, not decorative trim, and must be rendered precisely.
Green signifies Islam and hope; white stands for peace and truth; red denotes bravery, martyrdom, and sacrifice. The emblem’s geometry and stroke weights, the widths of stripes, distance from edges, and colour references are enumerated in executive standards to ensure consistent manufacture. Approved fabrics and printing methods guard against diffusion or misalignment of the Kufic banding.
Protocol
prescribes sunrise‑to‑sunset display unless illuminated; orderly half‑masting for mourning by state directive; precedence alongside other national flags; and ceremonious retirement of worn flags. Desecration, defacement, or unauthorised alteration is a criminal offence. Diplomatic posts, schools, and ministries maintain stock in regulated sizes; military colours adapt the tricolour under separate service rules.
Historically, Iran’s flags expressed changing political orders—from Zand and Qajar standards to Pahlavi royal iconography, and finally to the Islamic Republic’s synthesis. The 1980 settlement, stable for decades, anchored the flag as a central civic symbol while embedding revolutionary memory into everyday display.
Across public life the banner is omnipresent on national holidays, at Friday prayers, and during commemorations such as Sacred Defence Week. Abroad, it identifies the state at international organisations and sporting events; consulates follow a usage manual to avoid incorrect centring, improper aspect ratios, or truncated inscriptions. The tricolour’s disciplined specification and protected status ensure that its meanings—religious conviction, national continuity, and post‑revolutionary legitimacy—are conveyed intact wherever it flies.