Iranian Women Torch Khamenei Portraits, Light Cigarettes in Defiant Nationwide Uprising

Videos of Iranian women using photos of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to light cigarettes have spread rapidly on social media and become a fresh symbol of resistance amid a nationwide uprising.

“A US official speaking on Air Force One said the military is considering “very strong options” and that Iran’s leaders have reached out to negotiate after threats of US military action; a meeting is being arranged”

Al Jazeera

International figures amplified the posts, and online symbols were altered in response.

Al Jazeera

아시아경제 reported that the videos have been rapidly circulating on social media and become a symbol of resistance, citing Euronews.

The outlet noted that international figures including J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk amplified the posts, and that Musk changed the Iran flag emoji on X to the pre-1979 lion-and-sun emblem.

The Daily Star described the acts as a provocative act of defiance against strict social norms and laws, including the compulsory hijab, and said the imagery has drawn global attention, admiration, and copycat demonstrations.

AL-Monitor linked the symbolism to the pre-revolution flag and reported that demonstrators called for items to be decorated with Iran’s pre-revolution ceremonial flag.

The cigarette-lighting clips come amid what multiple outlets describe as the sharpest challenge to the Islamic Republic since the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement, a nationwide uprising that began with strikes and demonstrations over economic hardship and broadened into political demands.

Iran International says protesters “have staged the sharpest domestic challenge to the Islamic Republic since the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement” and that the unrest “rapidly broadened into calls to end theocratic rule.”

AL-Monitor

The Daily Star calls it “the largest nationwide anti-government protests since 1979,” while The Guardian recalls the 2022 protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death and stresses the protesters’ courage in facing “disproportionate, brutal force by security services.”

Al Jazeera links the unrest to broader violence and regional tensions, noting the protests followed a 12‑day war and describing them as “one of the biggest challenges to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.”

Authorities have responded with a harsh crackdown, mass arrests, near-total internet blackouts and televised measures the state says demonstrate control; casualty figures and the character of the response remain disputed.

“I don’t have the article text — you only wrote “India Today Group”

Business Today

ایران اینترنشنال reports a 'brutal crackdown — mass arrests, live ammunition and near-total internet blackouts'.

The Guardian documents an 'intensifying domestic crackdown' with state media showing 'at least 96 forced confessions' and reporting a death sentence for a protester.

Al Jazeera notes that casualty figures are disputed, saying semiofficial Tasnim reported 109 security personnel killed while opposition groups say hundreds of protesters have died, and that it could not independently verify either toll.

El País reports families and rights groups finding 'hundreds of bodies' in a Tehran morgue, and BBC contacts say a morgue 'held about 180 body bags'.

International reactions reflect geopolitical fault lines, with Western governments and institutions debating sanctions and diplomatic measures while other actors provide support to Tehran.

Radio Free Europe reports European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced a ban on all Iranian diplomats and government representatives from European Parliament premises and urged tougher EU pressure.

CNN

The Guardian records the UK’s caution about proscribing the IRGC and its preference for sanctions, noting that by December 2025 ministers had sanctioned 547 people and entities.

Al Jazeera cites U.S. President Donald Trump saying the US is weighing strong options.

ایران اینترنشنال highlights Russia’s continuing backing of Tehran, saying Moscow provides political cover and material cooperation that helps shape Tehran’s response.

Cigarette-burning and portrait-defacement are part of a wider cultural pattern of public defiance that has continued since 2022 and spread into the diaspora.

“Iranian women have boldly used flaming pictures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to light their cigarettes in acts of open defiance(Image: @MilitanTosh/X) Iranian women are sparking a bold new wave of protest by lighting cigarettes with burning images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei”

Daily Star

Observers say the pattern ranges from cutting hair and burning headscarves to public sports participation and provocative demonstrations.

Daily Star

아시아경제 catalogs these acts, listing hair cutting, burning headscarves, sports participation, nude and other provocative demonstrations as continuations of the 2022 protests.

The Daily Star reports the viral trend produced "copycat demonstrations" and circulated clips filmed both inside Iran and abroad, citing a Toronto-based woman who posts as "Morticia Addams".

Al Jazeera and El País warn that a communications blackout and state control of media complicate independent verification and reporting on the scale and details of such acts.