Dawn.com
Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran, colourful murals have sprung up across Tehran and other major cities, rich in symbolism and themes of resistance and defiance. Murals and banners have long been a defining feature of Iran’s urban landscape, particularly in Tehran, where such paintings in central squares mirror the state’s political messaging and foreign policy. This photo taken on April 8, 2026 shows a woman walking past an anti-USA and anti-Israel mural, in Tehran. — AFP/File Since the 1979 revolution , which established the Islamic republic, such imagery has served as a medium to reflect ideology and collective memory. This photo taken on April 11, 2026 shows women walking past a wall mural along the roadside in Tehran. — AFP/File This photo taken on April 12, 2026 shows people walking past a wall mural along the roadside in Tehran. — AFP/File In recent days, a mural in Tehran showed a US aircraft carrier carrying rows of coffins draped in American flags, surrounded by small Iranian-flagged boats and a helicopter. This photo taken on Feb 11, 2026 shows women posing with a poster depicting Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as they stand before a banner depicting a US Navy aircraft carrier with US-flag-wrapped coffins on the deck, during a rally marking the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution in Tehran. — AFP/File The image evoked dominance at sea, as Iran’s armed forces continue a blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz , a conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas in peacetime. Another mural depicts a man raising both arms, each wrapped in the Iranian flag, his hands forming a heart. This photo taken on April 6, 2026 shows a man walking past a banner depicting a man holding up a heart gestures before missiles being fired, in Tehran. — AFP/File Another shows the Iranian flag flowing across the wall with its tulip-shaped emblem bearing a missile in its centre, while a young woman carries a banner reading: “We have all come for the revolution,” referencing support for the 1979 Islamic revolution. An Iranian woman walks past an anti-USA and anti-Israel mural, in Tehran on April 21 2026. — AFP This photo taken on April 8, 2026 shows a man walking past an anti-USA and anti-Israel mural, in Tehran. — AFP/File Elsewhere, a mural traces a line of the leadership in Iran. It begins with founder of the Islamic republic, Ruhollah Khomeini, followed by Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in the opening US-Israel attack of the war on February 28, and culminating with his successor and son Mojtaba Khamenei . This photo taken on April 19, 2026 shows a woman walking past a banner featuring Iran’s late supreme leaders Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L) and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C) next to newly elected supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in Tehran. — AFP/File Separate works depict Iranian drones shattering the Star of David, the emblem of Israel’s flag, while one mural shows demonstrators gathered before Azadi Square, chanting “Death to America”, with one holding a portrait of Ali Khamenei. This photo taken on April 8, 2026 shows a man walking past an anti-USA and anti-Israel mural, in Tehran. — AFP/File Among the most striking long-standing anti-US murals are those around the former US embassy in central Tehran, now a museum known as the “Den of Spies”. One depicts a fractured Statue of Liberty with a broken arm surrounded by scenes of destruction, while another shows the US flag with skulls replacing its stars. This photo taken on February 26, 2026 shows a veiled Iranian woman walking past an anti-US mural next to former US embassy in Tehran. — AFP/File This photo taken on April 11, 2026 shows a woman walking past an anti-US mural near the former US embassy in Tehran. — AFP/File This photo taken on Feb 1, 2026 shows a woman walking past a mural depicting a US drone painted on the outer walls of the former US embassy in Tehran, colloquially-referred to as the “Spy Den”. — AFP/File Header image: This photo, taken on April 8, 2026, shows a woman walking past an anti-USA and anti-Israel mural in Tehran. — AFP/File
Go to News Site