For the first time, Iran lit one of its most recognizable landmarks in the green, white and red of the Mexican flag, turning Tehran’s Azadi Tower into a striking Independence Day tribute Tuesday night.
The Azadi Tower illumination marked the 216th anniversary of the Grito de Dolores — the 1810 call by priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla that launched Mexico’s war for independence from Spain.
La emblemática Torre Azadi, símbolo de Teherán, se iluminó con los colores de la bandera mexicana para conmemorar el 216° aniversario de la Independencia de México.
La Embajada de Irán en México destacó el acto como un gesto de amistad entre ambos pueblos.
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— La Jornada (@lajornadaonline) September 15, 2026
“Today, Mexico is not in Mexico. It is in the heart of Iran,” the Iranian Embassy in Mexico posted Sept. 15 with a video of the glowing monument.
The display marked the first time Iran has illuminated a monument in honor of Mexico, according to the newspaper El Universal.
Those colors, however, are not inherently unusual at Azadi Tower, since green, white and red are also Iran’s national colors. For example, on Feb. 10, 2024, it was lit up in that way for the 45th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Speaking to HispanTV from Tehran, Mexican Ambassador Guillermo Puente Ordorica called the lighting “a great gesture of friendship” that Mexicans will cherish.
Built in 1971, the 45-meter Azadi Tower was originally called Shahyad Tower, then renamed Azadi (Persian for “freedom”) after the 1979 revolution. The tower and its surrounding square are often the site of major public gatherings.
Beyond Iran, Mexican communities and diplomats marked Día de la Independencia across several continents.
In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani was grand marshal Sunday at a Mexican Independence Day parade in Brooklyn, wearing a tricolor sash and carrying a Mexican flag. He said he was proud to be the first New York City mayor to march in the parade with “a community that has fostered cultural pride for generations.”
Mamdani’s remarks came just days after U.S. Vice President JD Vance criticized a protester carrying a Mexican flag at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, calling him an “idiot” and telling him, “If you love Mexico so much, get your ass over there. I’ll buy you the plane ticket.”
Elsewhere, Mexico’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Alejandro Gertz Manero, led a Grito ceremony in London, where festivities included music, food, dance and other traditions.
In Madrid, the Mexican Embassy hosted a public Grito in Chamberí Square, followed by folk ballet, mariachi and a circus performance.
Mexican celebrations were also reported in Krakow, Rome, Vienna, Beijing, Seoul, Barcelona, Budapest and Kansas City.
With reports from El Universal, La Jornada and Madrid Gazette
