Authorities in Iran have ordered the closure of a café chain in Tehran over takeaway cups featuring “suspicious designs” that officials say hinted at an Israeli assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
According to AFP, Iranian media reported Saturday that branches of the Lamiz café chain in Tehran were shut down and sealed by order of the judiciary. The move followed the distribution of cups bearing an illustration of an empty chair, which authorities interpreted as a reference to Khamenei’s death at the start of the war with Israel and the United States, and to the absence of his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, from public view since his appointment.
“The café designed suspicious imagery against the martyred imam on its products in recent days,” officials said after the closures.
The design at the center of the controversy is a 1975 work by Iranian artist Farshid Mesghali, depicting a colorful chair surrounded by drops of paint.
The Lamiz chain said the illustrated cups had been designed before the war, ahead of Nowruz, the Persian New Year celebrated this month. In statements posted on its social media accounts, which have since also been shut down, the company denied any political intent.
“The cups have no connection to recent events. Their production — from final design approval to printing — was completed over several months, and full distribution to warehouses was finalized before these events began,” it said.
Lamiz operates more than 20 branches in Tehran, along with additional locations outside the capital. Only the Tehran branches appear to have been closed.
Café culture has expanded in recent years in Tehran and other major Iranian cities, where such venues serve as social and cultural hubs. Some have previously drawn scrutiny from authorities during periods of anti-government protest.