Shiite Muslim pilgrims march with flags en route to Karbala from Nasiriyah in Iraq's southern Dhi Qar province on September 5, 2022, ahead of the holiday of Arbaeen. (Photo by Asaad Niazi/AFP Photo)
An Iranian girl wearing a costume inspired in the fictional folklore character Hajji Firuz, dances in Tehran on March 17, 2021 as Iranians prepare to celebrate Noruz, the Iranian New Year. Noruz, “new day” in Persian, is the New Year festivity celebrated in Iran as well as in Afghanistan and Kurdish regions in several countries. It begins with the spring equinox and symbolises rebirth. (Photo by Atta Kenare/AFP Photo)
An Iranian woman without wearing her mandatory Islamic headscarf flashes a victory sign as two head-to-toe veiled women walk at the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 13, 2024. (Photo by Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)
A man wears jacket in the colors of Iranian flag as he attends the annual rally commemorating Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, February 11, 2023. (Photo by Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)
An Iranian athlete warms up prior to the start of the women's karate competition, made-up of clubs and teams from around the Tehran province, in Tehran on November 6, 2025. Some 230 participants, including 5-year-old girls, took part in the competition, with team's deriving only from the Tehran province taking part. (Photo by Atta Kenare/AFP Photo)
A drone photo shows that people enjoy at the Lake Urmia, one of the biggest saltwater lakes in the world located in the northwest of Iran, as recovering works continue due to drought affecting the whole country and putting the lake in danger of drying up again in Urmia, Iran on July 06, 2021. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)