IRAN: Why Images Of Iranian Women Lighting Cigarettes With Khamenei’s Photo Are Going Viral.
A striking new protest trend involving Iranian women is rapidly spreading across the global internet, drawing attention to rising unrest inside Iran. Viral videos show women lighting cigarettes by burning photographs of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an act widely seen as an open challenge to the country’s political and religious authority.
The trend has gained momentum on social media platforms such as X, Instagram, Reddit and Telegram, with clips being shared and reposted thousands of times worldwide. Observers say the practice has become a powerful symbol of defiance and is increasingly difficult for authorities to contain, even as Iran tightens controls on dissent.
Burning the image of the Supreme Leader is considered a serious offence under Iranian law. By combining this act with smoking, an activity long restricted or discouraged for women, the protesters appear to be deliberately rejecting both state power and strict social rules, including mandatory hijab enforcement and limitations on women’s personal freedoms.
But will it awaken western feminists?
Feminist activists in the West are in an intersectional coma. https://t.co/vehC62iZA2
— Christina Hoff Sommers (@CHSommers) January 10, 2026
