Iranian women have been circulating videos and photos showing themselves lighting cigarettes with burning images of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a bold act of protest.
The footage, widely shared on social media, has been reposted thousands of times, drawing international attention.
Under Iranian law, burning images of the Supreme Leader is a serious criminal offence. In addition, women smoking in public has long been restricted or socially discouraged in the country.
By combining both acts—while also flouting mandatory hijab regulations—protesters are simultaneously rejecting state authority and long-standing social controls imposed on women.
Observers note that this form of protest is particularly difficult for authorities to suppress, as it does not rely on mass demonstrations that can be easily dispersed or contained.
The trend emerges amid worsening economic conditions in Iran, which have triggered renewed unrest and deepened public frustration with the country’s leadership.
Although the current wave of dissent has not reached the scale of the nationwide protests seen three years ago, reports indicate that security forces have already killed dozens of people in recent crackdowns.