
These fascinating photos show inside the largest flag factory in Iran where US, UK and Death to Israel flags are made for burning in protest at Western sanctions.

As tensions with Iran have intensified in recent weeks, the factory is doing a roaring trade in flags for destruction.

Photographer Farhad Babaei was allowed to see the production line which produces hundreds of thousands of flags a year.

Each flag is painstakingly printed on the stone with templates by hand before being hung to dry and later washed

US, UK and Israeli flags are regularly burned in demonstrations in Tehran, including this protest outside the former US embassy in November 2015

An Iranian flag manufacturer is busy creating US and British flags for people to burn during heated demonstrations

The factory is in Khomeini City, about four hours south of Tehran. As well as British and US flags, the manufacturer produces Israeli flags

Many of the flags produced by the factory are used in demonstrations in Tehran to protest against the UK and the West

In the West we have grown used to images of Iranians burning national flags in rallies against the UK, US and Israel.

In Khomeini City, the birthplace of Ayatollah Khomeini, a four hour drive south of Tehran, a building houses a production line.

One flag, a customisation of the national flag of Israel is particularly popular. It features the Star of David with the words 'Death to Israel' in Persian alongside it.

As these images show the factory produces US, British and other flags from scratch and not all are destined to be burned.

The Iranian and Hezbollah flags are for hanging in homes or for rallies supporting the government.

One flag, a customisation of the national flag of Israel is particularly popular. It features the Star of David with the words 'Death to Israel' in Persian alongside it

The factory employs 42 people and they produce almost 1.5 million square feet of flags each year

Here some protesters are burning flags from the UK, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States during an annual demonstration to mark the anniversary of the birth of the Iranian revolution

Often demonstrators shout 'Death to America' or death to which ever country's flag they happen to be burning at the time

These protesters gathered in May 2018 after US President Donald Trump announced he was pulling out of the Iranian nuclear deal, which caused anger on the streets of Tehran, prompting people to gather outside the former US Embassy to burn a few flags

The Diba Parcham Khomeini factory produces flags to order and the owner said a lot of them are made for those who participate in Islamic Republic of Iran demonstrations

Both men and women work inside the factory which employs 42, and it produces nearly 1.5 million square feet of flags a year.

Each flag is painstakingly printed on the stone with templates by hand before being hung to dry and later washed.

The Diba Parcham Khomeini factory produces flags to order and the owner said a lot of them are made for those who participate in Islamic Republic of Iran demonstrations.

He said: 'We are not responsible for how people use them and I hope for friendship, peace and love for all the nations despite any kind of use of these flags.

'People burn them or walk on them because we have economic problems because of the sanctions.

'Khomeini City is the birthplace of Ayatollah Khomeini, Islamic republic of Iran's founder, so it is good we make the flags here.'