Iran closes Lamiz cafes over cups hinting at Ali Khamenei's death

ALBAWABA - Iranian authorities have ordered the closure of a popular cafe chain in Tehran over designs on its takeaway cups, local media in Iran reported Saturday.

According to the media, Lamiz coffee houses were closed after a cup featuring an empty chair with colorful water drops, one of which is fire. Authorities interpreted it as a message hinting at the assassination of former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Iranian opposition media outlets said the controversial design on the cups of the "Lamiz" cafe chain depicts an empty chair, which authorities interpreted as a reference to Khamenei's assassination at the start of the Middle East conflict and the absence of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, from public view since his appointment.

The pro-government news agencies Tasnim and Mehr reported that Lamiz branches in Tehran were closed and sealed by order of the judiciary.

Tasnim and Mehr noted that the cafe had "designed suspicious images on its products in recent days, alluding to the late Ayatollah Khamenei, who has ruled Iran since 1989."

In a statement posted on social media before its accounts were also shut down, the café explained that it had designed special cups for Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, which was celebrated this month, over the past few years.

Lamiz cafe denied any political connotations to the design, stating: "The cups have absolutely no connection to recent events. Their production, from final design approval to printing, took several months, and they were all delivered to the warehouse before these events began."

The cafe has more than 20 branches in Tehran, in addition to other branches outside the capital. It is believed that only the Tehran branches were affected by this measure.