Iran was the name given to this land after Reza Pahlavi got in to power, before it was called Persia. Iran simply means land of Aryans, and Aryans were the original people that first arrived in this land. Oh yeah,  just incase you were intrested to know- Aryans mean, men of honour and courage which is the adjective that is accociated with Lions. So after all this, now you know why Reza Shah chose to put a sign of a lion with a sword in the middle of the flag, to sybolize Iran. Now all it's left to answer is that why now there is a symbol of Allah in the middle flag of Iran and not the lion. Well, very simple, because after the Islamic Reveloution in 1979. Ayatollah Khomeini chose to change the sign to Allah to prove that even though race is a great factor in one's identity, but one should never forget of his believes and values. No matter what we'll always be Iranians, but what is more important is that we're Muslims. We have to underestand that Islam is a part of our culture and no matter what, we can not.. should not denie that.. Anywho I think the images are now loaded, enjoy!