A popular Iranian cafe chain’s outlets were reportedly shut down in Tehran over takeaway coffee cup designs that seemingly mocked the death of the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Although Iranian news agencies didn’t offer concrete details about the closure of Lamiz, referred to as the ‘Starbucks of Tehran,’ Persian-language media based outside Iran attributed the decision to the cafe’s coffee cup design. News agencies Tasnim and Mehr stated that the Iranian authorities’ decision to seal Lamiz’s Tehran branches was fuelled by “suspicious designs against the martyred imam on its products in recent days.”
Popular Tehran cafe Lamiz’s controversial cup designs explained
Images shared by media based outside Iran, including Iran International English, showed the cup featuring a 1975 painting by Iranian artist Farshid Mesghali. The illustration portrays multi-coloured raindrops falling on a colourful empty chair.
The phrase “spring is coming” can be seen written in Farsi on the other side of the cup. Hardliners ended up interpreting the artwork as a reference to a chair once used by the late Khamenei.
The supposedly controversial painting was originally used as the artwork for the 10th Tehran International Festival of Films for Children and Young Adults in 1975. Notably, the artwork’s original year of creation also pre-dates the Iranian Revolution of February 1979, which culminated with the toppling of the monarchy and the establishment of an Islamic republic.
Iranian authorities on Saturday shut down all branches of the popular café chain Lamiz after it used cups featuring a 1975 painting by renowned Iranian artist Farshid Mesghali, a design hardliners interpreted as mocking the empty chair of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.… pic.twitter.com/HyafptAa4s
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 28, 2026
The late Iranian supreme leader was killed on February 28, when the US and Israel launched their joint offensive against Tehran, triggering the ongoing conflict across West Asia, fuelled by Iran’s retaliatory military strikes.
Cafe Lamiz denies that it mocked Khamenei’s death
The AFP news agency reported that the cafe subsequently issued a statement on its social media channels, which have also been closed, to address the situation. Cafe Lamiz denied any political connotations, saying the cup had no connection to the recent events in West Asia. It claimed the special cups were designed for the Iranian New Year, Nowruz.
“Their production, from final design approval to printing, was completed over several months, and their full delivery to warehouses had already taken place before these events began,” it said.
Dubbed the ‘Starbucks of Tehran,’ Lamiz has over 20 branches in the Iranian capital and others outside it. According to the AFP, only Tehran’s branches are said to have been affected by the judiciary’s decision.