While the people of Iran suffer under the repressive, Islamist regime, the elites send their children to the West, where they live in luxury.
Feb 3, 2026, 9:41 p.mFeb 3, 2026, 9:41 p.m
Natasha Hähni / ch media
The social media profiles of many Iranians in exile have transformed into veritable news portals in recent weeks. They want to draw attention to the situation in their homeland during one of the largest waves of protests and the subsequent internet blockade. According to opposition circles, around 6,000 people have been killed. The number of unreported cases is likely to be significantly higher.
Self-proclaimed rapper and son of a former Iranian ambassador: Mohammed “Sasha” Sobhani.image: instagram
However, Anashid Hoseini and Sasha Sobhani’s profiles lack any trace of compassion for the situation in their homeland. The two belong to the so-called “Aghazadeh” – this is what the children of high-ranking government officials are called. They benefit from the political power of their fathers – high-ranking clergy, ministers and security chiefs – and live in luxury far away from suffering.
Hoseini and Sobhani proudly showcase this luxury on the Internet. Hoseini is married to the son of a former Iranian ambassador to Denmark. In her pictures she regularly shows expensive branded clothes, designer handbags, luxury trips and jewelry.
Anashid Hoseini.image: instagram
The week the recent protests erupted in Iran, Hoseini posted three images to her 1.7 million Instagram followers. She can be seen with her little son in front of a villa, holding a brown Birkin bag in her arms. She writes about the picture: “My peace.” She hasn’t published anything since then. She reportedly lives in Niavaran, a wealthy district in northern Tehran. It is unclear whether she has fled since the unrest. According to the British Telegraph, many wealthy Iranians have fled in recent weeks to Van, a popular holiday resort in Turkey, around 100 kilometers from the border.
Far away from the reality of life in Iran
Sasha Sobhani lives even further away, in Spain. His father was a former Iranian ambassador to Venezuela. Sobhani presents himself as a rapper. In lavishly produced music videos he appears with scantily clad women. If he lived in his homeland, the women would face fines of several thousand francs, flogging and prison sentences of up to 15 years – in the best case scenario. If his behavior is classified as “corruption on earth” he could even face the death penalty.
The Iranian regime has long demanded his extradition on charges of money laundering and illegal websites. In addition to half-naked women, the hobby artist also likes to show off champagne bottles, luxury cars, yachts and on helicopter excursions. There is also a petition against Sobhani that is being shared on social media to revoke his Spanish residence permit.
Mohammed “Sasha” Sobhaniimage: instagram
Hoseini and Sobhani are just two examples of the many young Iranians who, thanks to parents loyal to the regime, live far away from the repression of their home country. The Instagram account “The Rich Kids of Tehran” has been sharing pictures posted by children of the Iranian elite for years.
As Ella Rosenberg, senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center of Foreign Affairs, told the British “The Sun”, many Iranians are “deeply angry” with the “Aghazadeh” because of their complete ignorance of the reality in the country. Their wealth has become particularly visible in recent years because the government loosened control over the internet and social media before the recent unrest began.
Hoseini, Sobhani and many others live far away from the reality of life of those who have taken to the streets of Iran in recent weeks to protest against injustices – because of the economic crisis, human rights violations and the hope of finally overthrowing the Islamist government.
Like previous uprisings, the demonstrations were bloodily suppressed. The regime has shut down the internet since the beginning of January. Since then, reports of atrocities have flooded social media – mass executions without a fair trial, executions in hospitals and on the streets, to name just a few. On Sunday, the Iranian parliamentary speaker also classified the armed forces of EU member states as “terrorist groups” – the fact that the children of many of his counterparts live among these “terrorists” does not seem to bother him.