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Khamenei's 'Feminist' Tweetstorm Draws Mockery Amid Iran's Record on Women

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted a sequence of messages on X praising women’s role in the home, calling for social and familial justice, and criticizing pay disparities in the West. His comments were widely mocked online as hypocritical given Iran’s documented restrictions on women and enforcement of strict dress codes. Commentators contrasted his rhetoric with reports of imprisonment and corporal punishment for women who violate dress rules, and the thread quickly went viral.

10:01 AM, 12/04/2025Politics
Khamenei's 'Feminist' Tweetstorm Draws Mockery Amid Iran's Record on Women

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, posted a series of messages on X this week about women that provoked widespread ridicule online because many saw a sharp contrast between his words and Iran’s record on women’s rights.

In one post he framed women’s primary role around the home and compared them to flowers:

“Women are the manager of the home, not a servant for you to say, ‘Why didn’t you do this? Why didn’t you do that? Why isn’t the house clean?’ A woman is like a flower. A flower must be cared for and protected, and she will enrich you with her color, fragrance, and qualities.”

He also called for legal and social justice for women and urged that governments share responsibility for ensuring those rights:

“The first right that must be recognized for women is the matter of justice in social behavior & justice within the family — justice in society & justice in the home. These must be ensured. Everyone is responsible for ensuring these, including governments.”

Khamenei went on to criticize labor practices in Western countries, asserting that “in many Western countries today, women are paid less than men for doing the same work,” and calling that “totally unjust.”

The posts quickly drew sharp reactions on social media. Many commentators highlighted the disconnect between the leader’s rhetoric and the realities faced by women in Iran, where authorities have long enforced strict dress codes and have punished violations with fines, imprisonment or corporal punishment.

Notable responses included a mix of sarcasm and pointed criticism: Charles C.W. Cooke quipped, “Online dating profiles are getting weirder by the day.” Noah Smith joked that the leader was “tradhornyposting on main.” Billy Binion responded, “In Iran, women can be imprisoned or flogged if they have the audacity to show their hair in public. Please spare the world your silly platitudes about what is ‘totally unjust.’” Another commentator observed, “Thinking women are more concerned with you guys killing them for not wearing a hijab than pay rates, Khammy.” GOP strategist Logan Dobson added that the gender pay gap in the U.S. is complex and influenced by factors such as family structure.

The thread went viral across English-language social media, where users used it to underscore the contrast between lofty statements on women’s rights and the ongoing restrictions and punishments faced by many Iranian women.

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