Video credit – Morticia Addams.

Footage is filmed in Toranto , canada

Striking moment from the ongoing unrest has captured global attention — an Iranian woman is seen in the snow lighting a cigarette from the flames of a burning poster of Ayatollah Khomeini, in an act that directly challenges earlier claims that the image circulating online was AI-generated.




The clip, shared widely on social media, has become one of several powerful symbols emerging amid the current wave of anti-government protests sweeping cities across Iran, which many analysts now call the largest since 2009. Protesters have taken to the streets over deepening economic hardship and growing frustration with the theocratic
Burning images of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, or foundational figures like Khomeini, is considered a serious offense under Iranian law, and public smoking by women has historically been discouraged under strict social norms — making this gesture a layered act of political and cultural defiance.
The symbolic imagery comes amid reports of clashes between demonstrators and security forces, widespread internet restrictions, and a significant crackdown by authorities. Observers note that women are increasingly at the forefront of this resistance, rejecting both political authority and stringent social restrictions in acts that resonate far beyond Iran’s borders.