WANA (Mar 29) – While many believed Tehran might tone down its long-standing symbols of enmity with the U.S., reality suggests otherwise.

 

In the heart of Iran’s capital, on the famed artistic street of Karimkhan, is a mural broadcast on screens worldwide: a vast mural covering a large part of the wall of a ten-story building. What this mural shows, for those who haven’t seen it already, is an American flag with its stars turned into human skulls and its red lines leading to bombs.

 

 

Located right next to one of Tehran’s churches, this mural has become an undeniable landmark, drawing tourists who, without fail, pause to capture its imagery as if they are documenting a relic of a bygone era.

 

Few journalists, photographers, or documentary filmmakers enter Iran without capturing an image of this mural. For many people around the world, this may be the very first image of Iran imprinted in their minds.

 

Yet, in a time when diplomatic negotiations between Iran and the U.S. continue to waver, many assumed that such overt symbols of hostility might begin to fade from public view.

A painter repaints an anti-US mural in Tehran, Iran, March 29, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

And yet, on March 29th, WANA reporters witnessed a municipal worker scaling the famous wall. At first, passersby speculated that the mural was finally being painted over, erased to signal a subtle shift in Tehran’s stance. But upon closer inspection, the reality was quite the opposite: the mural was not being removed. It was being renewed.

 

As the world speculates on potential shifts in Iran-U.S. relations, Tehran’s decision-makers have chosen this moment not to soften but to embolden. Instead of fading into history, the mural is being sharpened, its message made even louder.

 

So, the question lingers: If rapprochement between Iran and the U.S. is on the horizon, will it ever be reflected in the murals of Tehran? Or will these walls continue to tell a different story?

A painter repaints an anti-US mural in Tehran, Iran, March 29, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)