Dramatic scenes in London as protester climbs Iranian Embassy, rips down flag

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that two people have been arrested so far. In a post on X, the police said one individual was arrested for aggravated trespass and assault on an emergency worker, while another was held for aggravated trespass.

Police added that officers are also seeking another individual in connection with trespass during the protest.

Earlier, the Met said it was aware of a protest outside the Iranian Embassy that saw a demonstrator climb onto the building’s balcony. “Officers are on site and additional officers are being deployed to prevent any disorder,” the police said.

Several videos of the incident have since gone viral on social media, showing a man standing on the embassy’s balcony and tearing down the Iranian flag. He was later seen holding the pre-revolutionary tricolour flag featuring the lion and sun emblem, which was used in Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Footage showed the protester being removed from the balcony. Later, the official embassy X handle shared an image of the building, stating: “Iran’s flag is flying high.”

The London protest comes amid intensifying anti-government demonstrations across Iran against the current regime.

Meanwhile, Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi has urged protesters to escalate their movement by taking control of city centres as nationwide unrest and an internet blackout entered their third week.

In a video message shared on social media, Pahlavi said the movement must go beyond street protests. “Our goal is no longer just to take to the streets. The goal is to prepare to seize and hold city centres,” he said, calling for more targeted demonstrations over the weekend.

Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s last monarch Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, praised the “magnificent” turnout at recent protests and hinted at a possible return to Iran. “The moment is very near,” he said, fuelling speculation among supporters.

Protests have spread nationwide since erupting in late December over rising inflation and the sharp fall of the Iranian rial, later evolving into a broader uprising against the clerical establishment.

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, demonstrations have now spread to 512 locations across 180 cities in all 31 provinces.

Rights groups have issued varying casualty figures. Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based group, said at least 51 people, including nine children, have been killed, while other estimates put the death toll above 60, making it one of the deadliest protest waves since the Mahsa Amini-led movement of 2022–23.