Pro-hijab Iranian leader under fire after daughter's wedding dress goes viral

Ali Shamkhani, one of Iran’s most influential defence and national security figures, came in for a lot of flak after a video from his daughter’s wedding went viral.

The clip, reportedly filmed in April, shows Admiral Shamkhani walking his daughter, Setayesh, into a grand wedding hall. The bride is seen wearing a strapless, low-cut gown, while Shamkhani’s wife appears in an elegant blue lace dress with an open back and sides.

 Several female guests are also shown without headscarves, a view starkly at odds with the strict dress codes enforced on Iranian women.

The video has caused anger among Iranians struggling with economic hardship and social restrictions. Critics say that the display of luxury and Western-style celebration contradicts the Islamic values that officials like Shamkhani publicly promote.

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

One exiled Iranian activist wrote on X: "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 enforce “Islamic values” with, bullets , batons and prisons on everyone but themselves."