The Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign ministry account is reportedly among those affected, as the Shia-majority country’s old national flag from the era of monarchy has made a comeback to social medi

Social media giant X has replaced the current Iranian flag symbol on its platform to the lion-and-sun flag used in the country before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Iran's current flag includes equal horizontal bands of green, white and red, with the Islamic emblem in red centred on the white band.

Nationwide protests across Iran, driven by economic distress and intensified by internet shutdowns, have seen the banned pre-revolution Lion and Sun flag re-emerge as a powerful symbol of resistance.,

Nikita Bier, Head of Product at X, responded to a user’s request to update the emoticon on Friday, with “Give me a few hours” before the update went into effect early on Saturday.

Protests in Iran are intensifying due to the country's struggling economy, putting pressure on its theocracy as it has shut down the internet and telephone networks.

Reza Pahlavi may be the figurehead of the monarchists, but he does not represent most of the 92 million people of Iran.