After the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, Iran erupted in protest against the law enforcing compulsory hijab. Women openly removed their hijabs and cut their hair in public, directly challenging the authority of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Although at least 551 people lost their lives, the Iranian government eventually crushed the movement through arrests, violence, and repression. However, the anger that was pushed down has now resurfaced, this time driven by severe economic hardship and soaring prices.
For the past 13 days, protests have been spreading steadily across Iran. Like the hijab movement, the current unrest has also found a new and powerful form of expression, one that is rapidly gaining attention on social media.
A new symbol of resistance
Videos now circulating online show Iranian women setting fire to pictures of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and lighting cigarettes using those flames. According to Iranian experts, this act carries a deep and symbolic message. It represents a double challenge to the Iranian system.
In Iran, insulting the Supreme Leader is considered a serious crime. At the same time, women smoking in public is viewed as immoral and socially unacceptable. By lighting cigarettes with burning images of Khamenei, these women are openly rejecting both political dictatorship and strict religious control.
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Economic crisis fuels fresh anger
Iran is struggling with high inflation, rising unemployment, and soaring food prices. These problems have reignited the anger that remained after the protests of previous years. Many ordinary citizens are now demanding change in both political and religious leadership. The viral videos spreading online suggest that harsh crackdowns are failing to silence public frustration.
The government, however, has responded with force once again. Over the last 13 days, at least 42 people have reportedly been killed, and more than 2,000 protesters have been arrested. On Friday, Khamenei described the protesters as "foreign spies," "violent rioters," and "agents of Israel and the United States."
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Police are using pellet guns to control crowds, and some women have alleged that pellets are being deliberately aimed at their eyes. Despite this, fear appears to be fading. From Tehran to Rasht, ordinary people are increasingly occupying the streets.
Protesters are sending a clear message: "They burn our cars and arrest our mothers and sisters. Now we will burn their vans. This country belongs to us." The spark lit by Mahsa Amini's death is once again threatening to engulf Iran's ruling system like a wildfire.
