Iranian women light cigarettes with burning photo of supreme leader

Iranian women have been lighting cigarettes with burning images of the country’s supreme leader – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – in a bold act of defiance.

Videos and photos of the protest have been shared and reposted thousands of times on various social media platforms.

Burning photos of the supreme leader is a serious offence under Iranian law, while women smoking has long been restricted or discouraged across the country.

By combining the two acts and defying mandatory hijab laws, protesters are rejecting both state authority and strict social controls.

Observers say this type of protest is harder for authorities to clamp down on as it doesn’t depend on large crowds that can be dispersed.

The trend comes as Iran faces deepening economic hardship, sparking fresh protests across the country and a growing crisis of confidence in the country’s leadership.

The unrest hasn’t reached the scale of protests three years ago, but authorities have reportedly killed dozens in response.

They also created an internet and phone blackout on Thursday night after protests intensified, largely cutting the country off from the outside world.

Khamenei accused demonstrators of acting on behalf of US President Donald Trump, saying rioters were attacking public properties and warning that Tehran would not tolerate people acting as ‘mercenaries for foreigners’.

Images published by state television overnight showed what it said were burning buses, cars and motorbikes as well as fires at metro stations and banks.

The protests erupted last month in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, where shopkeepers railed against the rial’s collapse.

The unrest has since spread nationwide as anger grows over soaring inflation.

Iran’s economy has struggled since US sanctions over its disputed nuclear programme were reimposed in September and in the wake of the 12-day war with Israel.

Iranian rights group Hengaw said a protest march in Zahedan, a city with a large Baluch population, was met with gunfire, leaving several people wounded.

Meanwhile, Iran’s divided opposition groups urged fresh protests on Friday, with Reza Pahlavi – the exiled son of the late ruling shah – telling Iranians on social media: ‘The eyes of the world are on you. Take to the streets.’

Iran has crushed larger waves of unrest in the past, but this time it faces a far weaker economy and mounting international pressure.

Protesters have chanted slogans including ‘death to the dictator’ and praising the former monarchy that was overthrown in 1979.

Although many women have taken part in the online cigarette lighting trend, the street protests have, according to videos seen by news agency Reuters, mostly featured young men.

Huge numbers of women and men took to the streets in 2022 to demonstrate against the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody and the lack of women’s freedom.

Mahsa had been arrested for allegedly not wearing the hijab and authorities blamed her death on a heart attack. However, witnesses say she was severely beaten.

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