Iran regime’s double standards on Hijab: Daughter of Khamenei's advisor wears strapless gown while ordinary women face brutal enforcement

A video of the daughter of Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, wearing a strapless Western-style wedding gown has ignited a furor in Iran. The footage from a 2024 ceremony at Tehran’s upscale Espinas Palace Hotel stands in stark contrast to the rigid dress codes enforced on ordinary women. While the state punishes uncovered hair and “improper” attire with fines, lashes or prison time, the elite appear exempt. The message of solidarity and equality promoted by the regime ceases to apply when wealth and connections shield its own from its harsh morality laws.

Privileged display vs enforced rules

The viral video shows Shamkhani escorting his daughter Fatemeh into the venue, where she wore a low-cut strapless dress and a nearly sheer veil. Her mother also appeared in a revealing blue lace evening gown without a headscarf. Critics are asking how such grandeur is possible in a country where the hijab is compulsory and modesty laws are strictly enforced.

The daughter of Ali Shamkhani one of the Islamic Republic’s top enforcers had a lavish wedding in a strapless dress. Meanwhile, women in Iran are beaten for showing their hair and young people can’t afford to marry. This video made millions of Iranian furious. Because they… https://t.co/MAb9hNgBnN pic.twitter.com/WoRgbpXQFA

— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) October 19, 2025

Shamkhani’s position is especially contentious. He has overseen the crackdown on the female-led uprising triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, when the state repeatedly deprived women of face-covering rights and enforced dress codes with brutality.

Cruel laws, uneven enforcement

Iran’s moral legislation is severe. Under the “Chastity and Hijab” bill approved in late 2023, women who defy dress codes risk long prison sentences, steep fines, and even the death penalty for repeated violations.

Enforcement has grown more sophisticated. The UN reports the regime uses drones, surveillance apps and licensed informants to monitor women’s attire, signalling the regime’s determination to police personal dress.

Thus, when ordinary women face life-altering punishment for minor dress code infractions, the contrast with the lavish wedding draws clear lines between how rules apply to the elite and how they apply to the masses.

Why this matters

The video has become a symbol of systemic hypocrisy: rules that oppress and punish the general population appear to relent when it comes to those close to power. Activist Masih Alinejad noted the glaring discrepancy: while Shamkhani’s daughter enjoyed a luxurious ceremony, women in Iran are beaten for showing their hair.

In the eyes of many Iranians, the spectacle undermines state credibility and exposes the moral double standards at the heart of the regime.

Those who enforce restrictions, institute shock penalties and insist on public modesty thus find themselves confronted by a private world of freedom for the connected. Unless the regime addresses this gap between rhetoric and reality, the scandal may fuel further unrest and erode legitimacy even among supporters.