A video showing the daughter of a senior aide to Iran’s supreme leader wearing a strapless wedding gown at a luxury hotel in Tehran has stirred a major row. Critics are accusing the regime of hypocrisy over its strict hijab laws.
The footage was reportedly leaked on X on October 17, according to Daily Mail. The video shows Ali Shamkhani, a top ranking advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, escorting his daughter Fatemeh into the Espinas Palace Hotel. Guests can be seen cheering as the bride walks in wearing a white strapless gown with a low neckline.
The Western-style ceremony has been condemned on Iranian social media as a contrast to the modesty and hijab rules that ordinary women are forced to follow. Shamkhani, who once led the government’s harsh crackdown on anti-hijab protests, is now being accused of hypocrisy.
'Lavish wedding in a strapless dress'
“The daughter of Ali Shamkhani, one of the Islamic Republic’s top enforcers, had a lavish wedding in a strapless dress. Meanwhile, women in Iran are beaten for showing their hair and young people can’t afford to marry,” wrote exiled activist Masih Alinejad on X.
“They preach ‘modesty’ while their own daughters parade in designer dresses. The message couldn’t be clearer: the rules are for you, not for them," they added.
'She is free because her father has power'
Swedish-Iranian MP Alireza Akhondi also criticised the display, calling it “a display of hypocrisy, corruption, and fear.” He added, “The daughter of one of the most corrupt and repressive officials of the Islamic Republic is getting married in a lavish celebration, dressed freely. She is free because her father has power. This is no longer religion.”
New hijab rules?
Reports by Iran International claimed the wedding took place in April 2024, with several members of Iran’s political elite in attendance. The backlash comes as authorities prepare to deploy 80,000 new morality police officers in Tehran to enforce hijab rules.
Who is Ali Shamkhani?
Shamkhani, 70, is a long-time ally of Khamenei and served as defence minister and senior military commander before leading the Supreme National Security Council from 2013 to 2023. During his tenure, the regime launched a violent crackdown on protests that erupted following the 2022 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being detained for allegedly violating hijab rules.
According to Human Rights Watch, more than 500 people, including 68 children, were killed during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, with over 20,000 arrested. A UN fact-finding mission later found that the Iranian government had committed “extensive, sustained and continuing” human rights violations against women and girls.
Shamkhani had previously survived an Israeli air strike on his Tehran residence in June.
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