Iranian women can be detained, fined, or even jailed for simply not covering their hair in public.
So, when the authorities permitted an American porn star to visit the Islamic republic, angry Iranian social media users were quick to accuse officials of hypocrisy.
Whitney Wright traveled last week to Tehran, where she posted photos of herself covered head-to-toe at landmarks in the capital, including the former U.S. Embassy that now serves as a museum.
“I'm sharing exhibits from a museum that are never seen," Wright wrote on Instagram. "It's not an endorsement of the government.”
But Iranian social media users have accused her of promoting the clerical regime in Iran, where pornography is strictly banned.
Wright is an advocate for Palestinians and a critic of Israel, a stance shared by Tehran. Iran views Israel as its archenemy and backs Hamas, the Palestinian extremist group that is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union.
The porn actress, whose posts on Instagram have since been deleted, left the country and arrived in neighboring Iraq on February 4. But that has not curbed the tide of criticism aimed at the 32-year-old and the Iranian authorities.
“American porn star Whitney Wright is in Iran, my birth country, where women are killed for simply showing their hair and being true to themselves,” Masih Alinejad, a U.S.-based Iranian activist and opposition figure, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on February 4.
Iran’s Chastity and Hijab Law requires women and girls above the age of 9 to adhere to a strict Islamic dress code that includes wearing a hijab, or head scarf, in public. Offenders, often charged with promoting immorality, can be fined, imprisoned, and even deprived of their civil rights.
In late 2022, Iran was rocked by months of protests sparked by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was detained for allegedly not properly observing the hijab. Hundreds were killed and thousands detained as the authorities cracked down on the nationwide demonstrations.
Despite the criticism, Wright defended her trip.
“Do you guys want me to apologize for…going to a museum?” she wrote on Instagram, before criticizing “some” of her critics for “shamelessly” supporting Israel.
SEE ALSO: Special Report: The Protests That Shook Iran's Clerical SystemIranians also criticized the authorities for violently cracking down on women over the mandatory hijab but permitting foreigners who openly engage in activities deemed illegal by the Islamic republic to visit Iran.
“You punish people of this country in various methods for removal of the hijab but you allow a porn actress to come here for tourism!?" Iranian actor Setareh Pesiani wrote on Instagram.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani on February 5 said he had “no information” about Wright’s visit.
“Citizens of other countries do not travel to Iran through the Foreign Ministry,” he said, without elaborating.
The United States advises its citizens against all travel to Iran due to the “risk of terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and the arbitrary arrest of U.S. citizens.”
American citizens can only travel to Iran as part of an organized tour or with a state-appointed guide.
Wright’s trip is not the first controversial visit to Iran by a Western porn star.
British adult film actress Candy Charms traveled to Tehran in 2016 for plastic surgery and posted a picture on Instagram that showed her wearing a head scarf.
Conservatives criticized the administration of moderate former President Hassan Rohani for granting her a visa.
When asked about Charms’ visit, Hassan Qashqavi, a deputy foreign minister at the time, credited the high moral standards of the Iranian authorities for not recognizing the British porn star.
“When an American-British star applies for a visa through a travel company, some ask why [Iranian agents] did not recognize her…. Our colleagues do not know women like that,” he said in 2016.