Iran's Supreme Leader's Aide Under Fire After Daughter's Hijab-Free Wedding Video Goes Viral

Last Updated:October 21, 2025, 15:09 IST

The grand Western-style wedding and the attire of the bride and her mother attracted widespread criticism in Iran where the hijab is mandatory.

The video circulating on social media is from the 2024 wedding of Ali Shamkhani's daughter.

Iran’s Islamic regime, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is facing an unusual scandal. The controversy involves the wedding of the daughter of Khamenei’s close aide, where the bride was seen in a strapless gown, leading critics to accuse the regime of hypocrisy over its stringent hijab rules.

The video that is going viral is from the 2024 wedding of Ali Shamkhani’s daughter. Shamkhani, a top defence and national security official and a confidant of Khamenei, has advocated for harsh Islamic rules on women and has overseen violent crackdowns on protesters.

In 2022, Shamkhani headed Iran’s Security Council during a nationwide uprising, where women protested against the hijab rule by burning their headscarves.

In the circulated video, Admiral Shamkhani, a member of Iran’s Expediency Council, is seen escorting his daughter into the Espinas Palace Hotel in Tehran. The bride, Fatemeh, was seen wearing a low-cut, strapless dress with a nearly transparent veil barely covering her head.

Shamkhani’s wife is also seen in a revealing blue lace evening gown without a headscarf.

The grand Western-style wedding and the attire of the bride and her mother is attracting widespread criticism in the country where the hijab is mandatory and modesty laws are strictly enforced. Critics have called out the Khamenei regime for double standards.

Masih Alinejad, an exiled Iranian activist, wrote on X that while Shamkhani’s daughter had a lavish wedding in a strapless dress, women in Iran are beaten for showing their hair.

Alinejad added that Khamenei’s advisor celebrated his daughter’s wedding at a luxurious venue, while the regime punishes women for minor dress code violations.

Iranian journalist Amir Hossein Mosalla commented on social media that the video shows regime officials do not believe in the laws they enforce, only wanting to make people’s lives miserable.

Meanwhile, Shamkhani has accused Israel of leaking the video from the April 2024 event, claiming it to be a new method of assassination by hacking into people’s privacy. Former Iranian minister Ezzatollah Zarghami defended Shamkhani, stating the ceremony was ‘female-only’ and that Shamkhani had kept a low profile.

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