Why Are Iranians So Deeply Patriotic?
WANA (Oct 21) – In a world where borders are increasingly dissolving and ideas like global citizenship or fluid nationality have become fashionable, Iranians remain strikingly loyal to their homeland. This loyalty does not usually express itself in official slogans, but rather in moments of crisis — when internal differences fade, and “Iran” once again becomes a shared point of identity.
During the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, an Iranian paramedic — moments after losing a colleague in an Israeli airstrike — uttered a sentence that went viral across Persian media: “I won’t leave my soil for even a second; I’ll stay for my country until my last drop of blood.” Such reactions reveal that patriotism in Iran is not a political construct, but an instinct — almost a psychological reflex rooted deep in the nation’s collective unconscious.
Unlike many nations whose sense of loyalty is the result of modern state-building, Iran’s “sense of belonging” is embedded in its cultural memory. As Dr. Sepehr Ghazi-Nouri, an Iranian scholar, explains: “Unlike most countries in the world, Iran is not a contractual concept. Its roots lie in a shared culture, language, and history that existed centuries before the emergence of the modern nation-state.”
People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
Iran is among the few countries that had defined itself as a cultural and historical entity long before the 17th-century birth of the nation-state in Europe. The Shahnameh — the epic masterpiece of Ferdowsi written over a thousand years ago — is not merely a work of literature; it is a national manifesto, the earliest articulation of “Iran” as a civilizational, not merely geographical, concept.
Even today, when Iranian athletes win at global tournaments, social media users flood the comment sections with the phrase “Children of Rostam” (Rostam being the legendary hero of the Shahnameh) or quote verses from it to express pride and courage.
Since the beginning of the 12-day war with Israel, Iranian athletes competing in international arenas have saluted and kissed the national flag in silent tribute — images that went viral millions of times online.
The 2025 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Zagreb. Iranian National Wrestling team. Source: IWF / WANA News Agency
One of the most meaningful paradoxes in Iranian society is that citizens can simultaneously be dissatisfied with their economic or political conditions and yet respond collectively to any foreign threat. Sociologists describe this as the collective unconscious of Iranian patriotism. As Dr. Amir Lotfi-Haghighat notes: “Discontent is real — but in moments of danger, the shared historical memory awakens.”
This phenomenon can be seen in reactions to natural disasters, military threats, or even sporting events — moments when the flag, language, and homeland temporarily dissolve all social and political divisions.
A vivid example came after the 2017 Kermanshah earthquake: people from every province sent truckloads of blankets, food, and medicine to the affected areas. In cities like Rasht and Isfahan, shopkeepers placed donation boxes labeled “For our fellow Iranians in Kermanshah.”
Or during the 2019 Golestan floods, volunteer rescue teams from Mashhad to Bushehr rushed north on their own initiative — not by government command, but out of a shared sense that Iran is a family.
Iranians are seen under a large flag of Iran during the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, February 11, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
With the rise of the internet and social media, parts of Iran’s younger generation increasingly identify with the idea of the “global citizen.” Yet even this generation, in moments of emotional intensity, reaffirms its bond with the homeland.
For example, during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, despite deep social tensions back home, when the national team defeated Wales, videos of the players in tears during the national anthem — and crowds of Iranians waving the flag in Doha’s streets — went viral. The Persian hashtag #ForIran became the number-one trend on Twitter.
Even the diaspora often displays a heartfelt connection to their homeland. Iranian students in Berlin or Toronto wrap themselves in the Iranian flag and sing Ey Iran (the unofficial national anthem) together during Nowruz festivals or World Cup matches. These scenes, thousands of kilometers away from home, carry the same emotional resonance. Patriotism in Iran is nourished by historical memory, not by state propaganda.
People attend a protest against the U.S attack on nuclear sites amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tehran, Iran, June 22, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
For Iranians, the homeland is not merely soil — it is a fusion of language, poetry, religion, and shared experience. Poets like Hafez, Saadi, and Ferdowsi each preserved fragments of the national memory in verse. Within this context, love for one’s country transcends emotion; it becomes an ethical duty — a moral link to generations that came before.
In the dominant religion of Iranians, Islam, the concept of homeland also holds sacred significance. Thus, in the Iranian-Islamic worldview, the homeland is not merely land but the locus of justice, faith, and meaning.
In the modern world, patriotism faces two opposing dangers: nationalist extremism and dissolution into globalization. Iran, like many ancient civilizations, constantly navigates between these poles — striving to preserve its cultural independence without falling into self-glorifying nationalism.
Tehran Amid Wartime Tensions: Families Attend Friday Prayers Together. June 20, 2025 / WANA News Agency
This balance is visible in the wave of grassroots digital creativity: short films with traditional music and stunning landscapes, or volunteer projects such as Irangram that showcase Iran’s beauty and heritage. Patriotism, once confined to slogans, now lives through art, media, and everyday life.
Perhaps the secret to Iranian patriotism lies in this equilibrium — leaning on the past, but not to escape the future. For Iranians, Iran is not merely a place to live; it is part of what gives life meaning.
And in an era when one’s citizenship can change with an online form, does patriotism still matter?
For Iranians, the answer seems clear: Yes — because a homeland is not just land; it is memory. And no one can migrate away from their own memory.
Soldiers of the Homeland in Sports Uniforms
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