Videos circulating widely on social media show Iranian women burning photographs of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and even using the flames to light cigarettes, in a striking act of defiance amid renewed protests in Iran.
The clips shared on platforms such as X, Instagram and Telegram capture women deliberately setting fire to Khamenei’s images, an act that is considered a serious criminal offence under Iranian law.
She lighting cigarettes with the burning portraits, they are not only rejecting state authority but also challenging cultural norms of Iran, including women smoking in public.
Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei post on x.com
“The President of the United States who sits there with arrogance and pride passing judgment on the entire world, he too should know that usually the tyrants and oppressors of the world, such as Pharaoh and Nimrod and Reza Khan and Mohammad Reza and the likes of these, when they were at the peak of their pride, were overthrown, this one too will be overthrown.” Said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Observers say these symbolic acts of resistance are gaining attention even as authorities tighten control and crack down on public dissent.
Iran has seen periodic protests in recent years, particularly after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody, which sparked widespread demonstrations against the government’s strict dress codes and enforcement practices.
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While large street protests have been suppressed before, the burning of the Supreme Leader’s image represents a bold and visible challenge to the clerical establishment at the heart of Iran’s political system.
The viral videos have drawn international attention and underscored the growing role of women in Iran’s ongoing social and political unrest, with many analysts describing the act as both a protest against the regime and a broader demand for greater freedoms.