In November 2025, a poignant act of defiance emerged from western Iran when Omid Sarlak, a young man, shared a video online in which he ignited a photograph of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tragically, mere hours after posting, Sarlak was discovered dead in his car, a gunshot wound to his head marking a grim conclusion to his protest.
In response to this chilling event, Samad Pourshah, a former political prisoner, replicated the act by burning Khamenei’s portrait. Shortly thereafter, security forces descended on his residence in Yasuj; however, Pourshah managed to evade capture and has since remained in hiding.
Escalating acts of protest from women
The Iranian regime’s harsh reprisals against such dissent have not quelled the determination of women in Iran. Instead, these draconian measures seem to have intensified their fight for freedom. Recently, a new wave of nationwide protests has materialized, fueled by widespread discontent over dire economic conditions. Amidst this turmoil, videos have surfaced on social media depicting young women not just setting fire to the ayatollah’s image, but also lighting cigarettes from the flames.
By intertwining the act of smoking—a pursuit traditionally restricted for women in Iranian society—with the burning of Khamenei’s portrait, these protesters boldly reject both the political-religious authority of the state and the oppressive societal norms imposed upon them. The viral nature of these clips has made it increasingly challenging for Iranian authorities to suppress the growing movement.
In the aftermath of the protests ignited by Mahsa Amini’s tragic death in 2022, Iranian women have transcended previous forms of resistance, which included cutting their hair and burning headscarves. Their actions are now marked by more radical expressions, such as participating in protests with bloodied lips and performing gymnastics before security forces.
A backdrop of repression and resistance
The death of Mahsa Amini, who was just 22 years old when she died in custody after being arrested for allegedly violating hijab regulations, catalyzed mass protests across Iran. Amini’s supporters allege she was beaten to death, leading to widespread demonstrations met with brutal government repression. Over the course of four months, more than 500 individuals lost their lives, while upwards of 19,400 were apprehended, forcing a temporary retreat of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement from the streets. Nonetheless, the struggle for women’s rights has continued unabated.
Despite the suppression of large-scale protests, resistance has morphed into symbolic acts of defiance, increasingly visible in everyday life. Women have been seen appearing in public without hijabs, knocking clerics’ turbans off in the streets, participating in marathons without head coverings, and even engaging in public nudity. Notable instances include Ahou Daryaei at Azad University in Tehran and another woman who boldly stood naked atop a police vehicle.
The influence of women’s protests has also reached schools, with female students gathering in schoolyards to chant anti-regime slogans—a stark contrast to the near silence maintained in the country since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979.
In reaction to these school protests, the government resorted to arresting schoolchildren, yet this heavy-handed approach did not quell the protests. Instead, reports emerged of a disturbing trend: numerous girls across Iran experienced mysterious illnesses, prompting concerns of serial poisonings in schools. More than 800 students were reported poisoned across at least 15 Iranian cities in 2023, with symptoms such as respiratory issues, heart palpitations, and numbness.
In an official statement, Iran’s Ministry of Health acknowledged the presence of a “very mild poison” responsible for these symptoms, although the origin and intent behind the attacks remain shrouded in mystery. The deputy health minister suggested a conspiracy aimed at closing girls’ schools, although he later retracted his statement. The Iranian authorities have persistently denied any culpability in these incidents, leaving the true perpetrators unidentified.