Visuals of women burning Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s photo and displaying anti-Khamenei slogans on T-shirts are circulating with false claims that they were shot in Iran during the ongoing anti-regime protests.
BOOM found that the visuals are from anti-Khamenei protests held in Canada and France.
Protests have spread across Iran since late last year amid an economic downturn linked to US sanctions and wider grievances against the Islamic Republic, including suppression of women’s rights. Against this backdrop, multiple photos and videos have gone viral claiming to show Iranian women defying the regime.
The Claim:
1) Photo shows a woman in Iran lighting cigarette after burning a poster of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The photo is being shared on Facebook with the caption, "Some photos emerge amidst the ongoing protests over the deep economic crisis in #Iran, drawing the attention of the whole world. Photos of Iranian women are going viral on social media, setting photos of supreme leader Ayatullah Ali Khamnei and lighting cigarettes."
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2) Video shows a woman in Iran removing her hijab and displaying an anti-Khamenei slogan on her T-shirt.
The video is being shared on Facebook with the caption, "Look at this brave girl from Iran. An open front has been opened against the Islamic power of Khamnei by removing a burqa. Burka throws off and top written F**k Khamenei. Girls are at the forefront against Islamic power from Iran. Same Indian feminist women do lungi dance in support of hijab"
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What We Found: Claim 1
1) Shot in Canada, not Iran
Taking a cue from the comments in the Facebook post, BOOM was able to geolocate the viral photo to a parking lot area in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. The location can be seen below.
2) Woman in the video is a refugee in Canada
Portuguese news agency Lusa reported that the woman in the viral photo is 23-year-old Iranian refugee Melika Barahimi living in Ontario, Canada. Barahimi told Lusa that she never claimed the photo was taken in Iran, adding: “I made the photo to show that I am against this regime that I fled in March 2025, because my life was in danger and I was sentenced to prison for many years, but I still have family there.”
3) Social media handles indicate Canada
We also found Barahimi's X and Instagram handles on which she has posted the viral photo and later shared a video. Her Instagram handle previously had the Canadian and Iranian flag emojis indicating her locations. A screenshot of this can be seen below:
4) Iranian diaspora protests
We also reached out to Farhad Souzanchi from Factnameh, an Iran-based fact-checking organisation, who told BOOM that this was largely a diaspora-led social media trend in solidarity with their compatriots in Iran.
Claim 2
1) Protest video is from Paris, France
We ran a reverse search on the keyframes and the results showed that the video is from Paris. We found the viral video was posted by the X account of Camille Eros on January 11, 2026. Using Google Lens, we matched the buildings in the background to Place Victor Hugo in Paris, France. This can also be seen on Google Maps. On January 11, 2026, a demonstration was held in Paris in support of Iranian women and the people of Iran.
Eros also shared the video on her Instagram account. She describes herself as a spokeswoman and HR manager of Collectif Eros, a right-wing organisation in France.
2) Woman in the video denies the viral claim
BOOM reached out to Eros who said, "I am not an Iranian, although Islamism is a big threat in France today. So you can that see on my profile, I am French and yes this video is from Paris."
