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Iran National Standard Flag
 
The flag of Iran: Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) in red is centered in the white band; ALLAH AKBAR "God is Great" in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band.
The current flag of Iran was adopted on July 29, 1980, and is a reflection of the changes brought to Iran by the Islamic Revolution. The basic design of the flag is three horizontal bands of green above white above red, symbolizing Islam, peace, and courage. (The use of green to symbolize Islam is frequent in the Muslim world; the flag of Libya is entirely in this color.)
This basic design has been used since the beginning of the 20th century. The coat of arms of Iran has been placed in the center of the white band which is meant to have multiple meanings, but is essentially a geometrically-symmetric form of the word Allah.
The symbol consists of four crescents and a sword. The four crescents form the word Allah: from right to left the first crescent is the letter 'Aleph', the second one is the letter 'Laam', the sword (straight line) is the second 'Laam', and the third and forth crescents together form the letter 'Heh'. Above the sword (central part) is a tashdid (a diacritical mark for gemination resembling a letter W). The sword represents a powerful and sovereign state. The shape of the emblem is chosen to remind people of a red tulip, for the memory of the (young) people who died for Iran, building on a legendary belief that red tulips grow on the blood of martyrs, valuing patriotism and self-sacrifice. It also bears strong resemblance to ancient Iranian Sassanid art forms usually found on royal crowns and coins. The symbol was designed by Hamid Nadimi, and was officially approved by Ayatollah Khomeini on May 9, 1980.
A further change to the flag following the Revolution has been the addition of writing on the borders between the white, and the green and red bands reading, Allahu Akbar ("God is great"). There are 22 (2x11) copies of this inscription, symbolic of the 22nd day of the 11th month (Bahman) in the Persian calendar — the date of the Islamic revolution (22 Bahman 1357 = February 11, 1979). The addition of this writing renders the flag non-reversible.
Physical requirements for the Iranian flag, the exact shape of the emblem and a compass and straightedge construction are described in the national Iranian standard ISIRI 1 (in Persian).
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