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As horrific details of the Iranian government’s suppression of protesters emerge — with internal estimates counting more than 10,000 among the dead — the country’s young, wealthy elite are inciting further rage by continuing to flaunt their lavish lives online as they have for years, as if the nation weren’t on the brink of collapse outside of their privileged bubble.
Amid an enforced internet blackout that allows an oppressive regime to commit “genocide under the cover of digital darkness,” according to one outraged expert, reporters from The Telegraph are said to have observed “rich Iranians” partying at a nightclub in a popular holiday hotspot on the border with Turkey.
“Their lifestyle has enraged the citizens of Iran, specifically Gen Z in their age group, mainly because they see how these rich kids live — with no accountability for anything that they do,” Ella Rosenberg, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Centre for Foreign Affairs, told The Times of London.
Mostly the children of Iran’s ruling class, they’ve famously led hedonistic lifestyles for decades, but their jaw-dropping wealth had become more visible in recent years, due to the government’s temporarily loosened grip on the internet and social media, before the current unrest began.
“They’re the equivalent of the Iranian “Gossip Girl”: luxury cars, living in opulent high-rises in north Tehran,” Rosenberg said.
The insane wealth of Iran’s young elite first came to global attention more than a decade ago, with the Instagram account @richkidsoftehran.
“It depicts seemingly affluent teens flaunting Rolex watches, Porsches and Maseratis, sprawling estates and pricey attire,” The Post reported back in 2014.
The Instagram account remained active over the ensuing decade and now boasts 477,000 followers.
Glamorous snaps ceased being shared on the account in 2024 — since Jan. 9, six new posts relating to current events have appeared, referring to the government as a “regime” — but other well-connected and cashed-up Iranians have become influencers 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 that show her dripping with jewels and toting designer handbags.
Hoseini is reported to live in Niavaran, an affluent neighborhood in northern Tehran, but she has not posted to her account in almost a month.
It’s unclear whether she remains in Iran amid the unrest, but many have fled the country in recent weeks seeking shelter in Van, a Turkish province just over 60 miles away from Iran’s border.
Said to be a popular holiday spot with affluent Iranians, The Telegraph reported seeing well-heeled types gathering in a venue that can easily cost more than $100 for entry and drinks, according to the outlet.
“These people benefit from the regime. They left Iran for now, because they were worried about staying there. Here, they can feel safe,” one Iranian at the club told the paper.
Other young and well-connected Iranians left their home country long ago, but have still incited anger among those less affluent citizens left behind.
Sasha Sobhani, the son of a former Iranian ambassador to Venezuela, became a social media star showing off his expat life in Spain, where he moved in 2019.
Snaps show Sobhani surrounded by scantily-clad ladies and luxury sports stars, 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 exploded on Dec. 28, and has morphed into the most serious threat to Iran’s clerical rulers since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The regime has answered 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 inside Iran estimate at least 12,000 — and possibly as many as 20,000 — people may have been killed during the national unrest, according to CBS News.
Tehran has fiercely disputed the numbers, blaming the bloodshed on what it calls “armed rioters” and “terrorists” backed by foreign powers, including the US and Israel.
