Artist: Behnam Mohammadi
By Kayhan Life Staff
More than one million Iranians living abroad marked Valentine’s Day 2026 by taking to the streets in what organisers called a “Global Day of Action,” answering a call from Prince Reza Pahlavi and voicing support for Iran’s Lion-and-Sun revolution.
With the diaspora estimated at roughly five million, the reported participation was striking: organisers and local authorities put the combined total at over one million, setting new records for overseas Iranian demonstrations.
Munich became the focal point. German police estimated attendance at around 250,000, with demonstrators travelling from across Europe and remaining for hours despite sub-zero temperatures, sleet, and intermittent rain.
350,000 Iranians raised the Sun and Lion flag in Toronto, and another 350,000 in Los Angeles. Over 200,000 joined in Australia: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Brisbane. They were joined by their fellow Iranians in New Zealand, as did those across Asia, Europe, and the United Kingdom. In London alone, attendance was around 50,000.
Reports repeatedly highlighted disciplined, orderly crowds, with police praising cooperation and images circulating of protesters cleaning streets and distributing food and water.
While the Islamic Republic claims that opposition is marginal or fragmented, Iran’s “Global Day of Action” signalled a sharpening convergence—inside and outside Iran—around a shared demand: not reform, but rupture, and a credible plan anchored by recognised leadership.
