The footage shows the bride wearing a strapless gown and being escorted by her father down the aisle at a hotel in Tehran.
Shamkhani—who previously served as Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council—responded on social media, writing: “Hey you bastards, I’m still alive!”, a reaction which quickly went viral across Persian-language social media platforms.
The former top security official further added that Israel’s Mossad spy agency had orchestrated the leak “to undermine his reputation and destabilize internal politics.”
Many outlets and figures suggested the ceremony was private and female-only, saying that “no religious or social norms were breached.” Conversely, several voices described the release of the footage as an act of “media assassination” by foreign adversaries.
Meanwhile, the daily Kayhan defended Shamkhani’s privacy while criticizing the extravagance of the event.
In an editorial, the paper wrote: “Holding a lavish wedding at a luxury hotel certainly deserves criticism, as luxury and excess erode social cohesion and stand contrary to the spirit of solidarity. Yet, publishing private images and violating personal sanctity reflects deep-seated malice and moral savagery.”
The controversy has reignited public debate on hijab, class divisions, elite privilege, and privacy in Iran, as officials face growing scrutiny from both domestic and international audiences.
Critics of the mandatory hijab laws argue that such incidents expose a stark double standard within the political elite.
Meanwhile, Elias Hazrati, head of the Iranian government’s Information Council, reacted to the circulation of a video from the wedding ceremony of Ali Shamkhani’s daughter, saying: “We must be alert to the fact that the main goal of this media war is to sow distrust and despair in society, not to criticize or reform individuals’ behavior.”
He added that the publication of such content on social media has always been part of the enemies’ agenda, and it has intensified in recent days. According to Hazrati, the sudden release and rapid spread of videos from ceremonies, conversations, or remarks is part of a broader project to tarnish public figures’ reputations.
