Iran's political and religious elite have been sharply accused of profound hypocrisy following revelations that they routinely send their children to live overseas, escaping the very repression their families help enforce. Opposition campaigners assert that top figures are utilising the nation's wealth to fund comfortable lifestyles for their adult offspring in Western nations including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Widespread Anger at the 'Aghazadehs'
Public fury directed at these elites, often termed 'aghazadehs', has intensified significantly. This follows last month's anti-regime protests, which saw thousands of ordinary Iranians killed in violent street crackdowns. Alex Vatanka, the Iran programme director at the Middle East Institute in Washington, provided critical insight into the public sentiment.
'People are deeply upset that the aghazadehs are receiving dollar stipends to relocate to the West – to the United States, Europe, and elsewhere – essentially to study on the state's dime,' Vatanka stated.
Scale of the Practice
Estimates from 2024, cited by a Revolutionary Guard commander critical of the trend, suggest approximately 4,000 children and relatives of regime officials were residing abroad in Western countries. The elites implicated include some of Iran's most powerful figures.
Prominent Cases of Elite Families
The Larijani Family Network
Ali Larijani, Iran's top national security adviser and a former senior Revolutionary Guard commander believed to have played a major role in the deadly protest suppression, exemplifies this contradiction. Despite his fierce criticism of Western values, his daughter, Fatemeh Ardeshir Larijani, lived in the United States. She was formerly an assistant professor at Emory University's medical school in Atlanta until her employment was terminated in January following an online petition demanding her deportation.
Furthermore, Larijani has two nephews residing in the UK and Canada. His brother, Mohammad-Javad Larijani, who serves as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's foreign affairs adviser, also has family overseas. Mohammad-Javad's son, Hadi Larijani, is a professor at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, while another son lives in Vancouver and holds a director position at the Royal Bank of Canada.
Other High-Profile Figures
The pattern extends across Iran's political spectrum. Former Iranian president Hassan Rouhani's niece, Maryam Fereydoun, lives in London and works for Deutsche Bank, reportedly overseeing financial flows from the Middle East. Former energy minister Habibollah Bitaraf and former foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif both have children living in the United States.
Notably, Zarif's son, Mahdi Zarif, is alleged to live 'a luxurious life in the United States,' including residing in a $16 million home in Manhattan until 2021, according to online petitions reported by The Guardian.
Geographic Spread and Potential Repercussions
The diaspora of elite children is global. Elias Ghalibaf, the eldest son of former IRGC commander Mohammad-Baqer Ghalibaf, resides in Australia. Even Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has relatives in Britain and France, while grandchildren of the Islamic revolution's founder, Ayatollah Khomeini, have settled in Canada.
However, those in the United States may face new challenges. Following the recent protests, Washington declared it would 'revoke the privilege of Iranian senior officials and their family members to be in the United States.' This policy could affect individuals like Eissa Hashemi, an associate professor in Los Angeles and son of former MP Masoumeh Ebtekar, known for her role in the 1979 US Embassy hostage crisis.
Lavish Lifestyles and Social Media Flaunting
Vatanka condemned the stark hypocrisy, noting the Islamist ruling order has preached specific behaviours for 47 years, while 'children or grandchildren of the members of the elite are living a very different life.' This contrast became grotesquely visible last month.
As thousands of Iranians were killed for challenging the regime, the children of these leaders flaunted lives of extraordinary luxury on social media. Posts featured designer handbags, supercars, and private jets. Sasha Sobhani, son of a former Iranian ambassador to Venezuela, has built a public profile showcasing super-yachts, private jets, fast cars, and lavish parties, often taunting critics from abroad.
Similarly, the sons of Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Khamenei, run a global shipping empire from Dubai. During the unrest, many wealthy Iranians decamped to neighbouring Turkey, with the province of Van becoming a popular destination for elite gatherings in bars and nightclubs as protests were violently suppressed at home.
International Political Context
The issue emerges amid heightened international tensions. In a recent address, US President Donald Trump stated that Iran must vow never to pursue a nuclear bomb to avoid all-out war, citing the regime's brutal crackdown on protesters as evidence of its nature. He noted ongoing diplomatic negotiations but emphasised, 'I will never allow the world's number one sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon.'
With the largest US military force in the Middle East since 2003 now assembled, diplomatic talks continue, aiming to secure a deal that prevents further regional escalation.
