An anti-government activist dramatically ascended the balcony of Iran’s Embassy in London on Friday, taking down the flag of the Islamic Republic and substituting it with the “Lion and Sun” emblem, a pre-1979 national symbol, as captured in video footage.
The individual scaled the exterior of the embassy located in Kensington, removing the regime’s flag and raising the emblem associated with Iran’s monarchy before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. This act was met with enthusiastic support from a sizable crowd of anti-regime demonstrators gathered below.
The Metropolitan Police reported that officers were deployed to the scene, resulting in two arrests – one for aggravated trespass and assault on an emergency worker, and another for aggravated trespass. Authorities are also in pursuit of a third person believed to have trespassed. It remains uncertain if the person responsible for the flag alteration is among those arrested.
Efforts to obtain a statement from Iran’s Embassy in London were made by Fox News Digital; however, no response was received by the time of this article’s publication.
A protester was seen on the Iranian Embassy’s balcony in London after replacing the Islamic Republic’s flag with the pre-1979 “Lion and Sun” emblem during the protest. Images and videos of the event rapidly spread across social media platforms. (Image credits: Pegah Janbakhsh via Storyful)
This protest at the embassy occurs amidst a period of significant unrest in Iran, marking one of the most substantial challenges to the regime in recent years. Former President Trump has issued a warning that the United States is prepared to protect the protesters if needed.
Potkin Azarmehr, a British-Iranian journalist, said the unrest stands in sharp contrast to Iran’s 2009 Green Movement, when protesters openly questioned whether the Obama administration supported them.
“What a contrast to Obama’s time, when protesters in Iran were chanting, ‘Obama, are you with us or with them?’” Azarmehr told Fox News Digital.
“Any international support, whether at the grassroots or government level, is encouraging.”
He said global attention matters to protesters on the ground but questioned the lack of visible demonstrations by Western activist groups.
An Iranian internet blackout activated the centralized kill switch to conceal alleged crimes as protests surged. (Sadegh Nikgostar ATPImages/Getty Images)
“The question is where are the Western activist elite protesters? Why are they not protesting? Are they on the side of the ayatollahs? An archaic religious apartheid?”
Demonstrations that began Dec. 28 over economic grievances have since spread nationwide, evolving into a direct challenge to Iran’s clerical leadership. Solidarity protests with Iranian demonstrators have also emerged in other major European cities, including Paris and Berlin. A protest also took place outside the White House in Washington, D.C.
As of Saturday, at least 72 people have been killed and more than 2,300 detained in Iran-based protests, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Some protests have included chants supporting Iran’s former monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who died in 1980. His son, Reza Pahlavi, has publicly called for continued demonstrations. The Iranian regime has also cut nationwide internet access.
At a press conference in Washington, D.C., Friday, Trump said Iran was facing mounting pressure.
“Iran’s in big trouble,” Trump said. “It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago. We’re watching the situation very carefully.”
Trump warned the United States would respond forcefully if the regime resorts to mass violence.
A vehicle burns during protests in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 8, 2026. (Khosh Iran/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
“We’ll be hitting them very hard where it hurts,” Trump said. “And that doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts.”
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has signaled a coming clampdown despite U.S. warnings, according to The Associated Press.
Tehran escalated its threats Saturday, with Iran’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, warning that anyone taking part in protests would be considered an “enemy of God,” a charge that carries the death penalty. The statement, carried by Iranian state television, said even those who “helped rioters” would face charges.
“Prosecutors must carefully and without delay, by issuing indictments, prepare the grounds for the trial and decisive confrontation with those who, by betraying the nation and creating insecurity, seek foreign domination over the country,” the statement said.
“Proceedings must be conducted without leniency, compassion or indulgence.”
