As gruesome details emerge about the Iranian government’s crackdown on protesters – with internal estimates numbering more than 10,000 dead – the country’s young and wealthy elite are inciting anger, continuing to flaunt their lavish lives online, as they have for years, as if the nation isn’t on the brink of collapse outside their bubble.
Amid an enforced internet blackout that allows an oppressive regime to commit “genocide under the cover of digital darkness”, according to an outraged expert, Telegraph reporters allegedly spotted “wealthy Iranians” partying at a nightclub in a popular holiday spot on the Turkish border.
“Their lifestyle has angered the citizens of Iran, especially the Gen Z in their age group, mainly because they see how these rich kids live — without being held accountable for anything they do,” Ella Rosenberg, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs, told the Times of London.
The insane wealth of Iran’s young elite first came to global attention more than a decade ago with the Instagram account @richkidsoftehran. Instagram/therichkidsoftehran
Mostly the children of Iran’s ruling class, they have led hedonistic lifestyles for decades, but their staggering wealth has become more visible in recent years due to the government’s temporary crackdown on the Internet and social media before the current unrest began.
“I’m the Iranian equivalent of ‘Gossip Girl’: luxury cars, living in opulent buildings in northern Tehran,” Rosenberg said.
Anashid Hoseini, who is married to the son of Iran’s ambassador to Denmark, has more than 1.7 million followers thanks to envy-inducing photos of her dripping in jewelry and pushing designer bags. Instagram/anashidhoseini
The wealth of Iran’s young elite first came to global attention more than a decade ago with the Instagram account @richkidsoftehran.
“It depicts apparently wealthy teenagers flaunting Rolex watches, Porsches and Maseratis, sprawling estates and expensive outfits,” The Post reported in 2014.
The Instagram account remained active and now has 477,000 followers.
The uprisings in Iran were fueled by widespread poverty, inequality and class oppression – and the country’s cashed elites added fuel to the fire by flaunting their lavish lives online.
Glamorous photos stopped being shared on the account in 2024 — since January 9, there have been six new posts about current events, referring to the government as a “regime” — but other well-connected and cashed-up Iranians have become influential in their own right.
Anashid Hoseini, who is married to the son of Iran’s ambassador to Denmark, has more than 1.7 million followers thanks to envy-inducing photos of her dripping in jewelry and pushing designer bags.
Hoseini is said to live in Niavaran, an affluent neighborhood in northern Tehran, but has not posted on his account for nearly a month.
Hoseini has not posted on her account for almost a month. Instagram/anashidhoseini
It is unclear whether she remains in Iran amid the unrest, but many have fled the country in recent weeks seeking refuge in Van, a Turkish province about 60 miles from the Iranian border.
Said to be a popular vacation spot for wealthy Iranians, the Telegraph reported that it saw wealthy people flocking to the venue, which can easily cost more than $100 for entry and drinks, according to the publication.
“These people are benefiting from the regime. They left Iran for now because they were worried about staying there. Here, they can feel safe,” an Iranian from the club told the newspaper.
Sasha Sobhani, the son of a former Iranian ambassador to Venezuela, has become a social media star showing off his expat life in Spain, where he moved in 2019. Instagram/sasha_sohbani
Sobhani has amassed millions of followers on Instagram and flaunts her expat life in Spain. Instagram/sasha_sohbani
Other young and well-connected Iranians left their homeland long ago but still incited anger among the less affluent citizens left behind.
Sasha Sobhani, the son of a former Iranian ambassador to Venezuela, has become a social media star showing off his expat life in Spain, where he moved in 2019.
Photos show Sobhani surrounded by scantily clad ladies and luxury sports cars, and he has since denounced Iran.
However, the country is seeking his extradition after accusing him of money laundering and running illegal websites.
The current uprising, which erupted on December 28, has turned into the worst threat to Iran’s clerical rulers since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
A collapsing economy in a country already overwhelmed by poverty and inequality is largely behind the Iranian uprising.
The regime responded with overwhelming force, deploying the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij militia to crush the unrest, according to rights groups and witness accounts.
Sources in Iran estimate that at least 12,000 — and possibly as many as 20,000 — people may have been killed during the unrest, according to CBS News.
Tehran has fiercely disputed the figures, blaming the bloodshed on what it calls “armed rebels” and “terrorists” backed by foreign powers, including the US and Israel.