WANA (May 01) – It is 3:00 AM. In the heart of Tehran, someone is awake. He is not a policeman, nor a building guard, nor a municipal worker. He is an Iranian who has volunteered to keep his country’s flag steadfast with all his might.

 

Since March 26, 2026, time has been measured differently in Iran: in 60-minute shifts. A rule is in effect that no wind or storm has been able to break: the Iranian flag must not touch the ground.

 

From that date until now, at Vali-e-Asr intersection, the flag of Iran has been held aloft 24 hours a day by the manual power of the people, and not by any mechanized tools.

 

Unity of the Flag-bearers

The Flag-bearer campaign, which was initiated by a group of youths from Mashhad and has now reached Tehran, is something far beyond a symbolic display. It is a human marathon.

 

Iranians who registered their names in a long waiting list weeks ago come here to take their turn in guarding their country’s flag—from cities near and far, and even from other countries.

 

The fascination of the story reaches its peak when nature enters the fray. A while ago, when a fierce storm swept through Tehran, the large flag was battered like the sail of a ship. At that moment, the flag-bearer was not alone; Iranian passersby rushed to grab the pole. Young and old, regardless of what they were wearing, stood shoulder to shoulder to share the weight of Iran’s national symbol among themselves.

The Voice of the People at the Flagpole

Different stories are told at the foot of this pole. One of the volunteers who traveled to Tehran for this purpose says: “For us Iranians, this flag is not just a national symbol, but the flag of Islam; we believe we must keep it flying high.”

 

Due to the two recent wars of the United States and Israel against Iran, Islamism and nationalism have become more intertwined among Iranians than ever before.

 

A soldier who has taken his turn to be a flag-bearer says: “It makes no difference where we are on this land—whether in the barracks or at this intersection—our duty is the same: not to let the symbol of Iran fall.”

 

Or that passerby who rushed to help at the height of the storm, saying: “When I saw the flag-bearer bending under the pressure of the wind, I couldn’t just be a spectator. This isn’t a matter of personal taste or politics; it’s a matter of the sanctity of our home, Iran.”

 

A Share in the Vigil

But why is standing by their country’s flag so vital for these people? For the volunteers taking their turns, this flagpole is an extension of the same duty carried out by the Iranian Armed Forces.

A man holds a flag with a picture of late leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, late Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, during a rally in Tehran, Iran, April 29, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

They believe that when a border guard stays awake at the most remote frontier or a military specialist of the Iranian Armed Forces stands by a launcher to guarantee the country’s security, civilians should not merely be spectators.

 

This symbolic movement, taking place alongside other Iranian actions such as nightly gatherings and the “Janfada” campaign, is a way for ordinary people—from teachers and workers to students—to say they have a share in safeguarding Iran. By holding the flag in the middle of the city, they essentially want to carry a part of the same burden that the soldiers of the Iranian Armed Forces carry on the front lines.

 

This is a deep-seated Iranian belief: that defending the country is not the duty of the armed forces alone, but that every Iranian, even by holding a flag, can be a guardian of the homeland and remind their fellow countrymen that all of us—regardless of our ethnicity or the language we speak—are defined under this flag.

 

Beyond Politics

To an observer looking at Iran from afar, this act might seem like nothing more than a nationalistic gesture; but for the Iranians who stand there in the cool of the dawn or the heat of noon, it is a form of practicing “steadfastness.”

 

Here, the flag is no longer just a piece of cloth; it is a bond between a people who have decided, despite all their differences of opinion, to be united in one thing: to begin each day by keeping their Iranian identity held high, and not to surrender it to the ground until the definitive end of the war, and even after the war.

 

Over 10 Million Iranians Join “Janfada” Campaign Amid War

WANA (Apr 04) – As the U.S.–Israel coalition war against Iran enters its sixth week, more than 10 million people have joined the grassroots campaign “Janfada for Iran” in less than a week. The term “Janfada” literally means “devoted to sacrifice,” reflecting the campaign’s focus on voluntary participation in defending the country against external threats. […]

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