Iran: US porn actress apparently travels to Tehran

Enlarge image

Iran's capital Tehran in the evening (symbolic image)

Photo: Arne Immanuel Bänsch/dpa

The trip of a US porn actress to Iran has sparked strong reactions. Iranian activists sharply criticized the 32-year-old actress' trip on social media and expressed outrage that the Islamic Republic was granting the woman a visa while many critics were not allowed to enter the country. In a report by the Iranian web portal “Rouydad24,” the authors asked how Whitney Wright was even able to enter the conservative-run country. Pornography and extramarital sex are strictly forbidden in Iran.

Enlarge image

Whitney Wright: "As an American, I think breaking the rules in Iran is a particularly bad idea"

Photo: Kay Blake / ZUMA Press / IMAGO

The porn actress and actress Whitney Wright had posted photos of her visit to Iran on Instagram in the past few days, but the posts on her account with 1.3 million followers have now been deleted. Wright represents pro-Palestinian positions on social media - just like top Iranian politicians.

Wright has now left the country

Wright was also criticized because she published pictures of herself that showed her dressed in accordance with the Islamic clothing rules applicable in Iran. In comments on Instagram, Wright justified herself: "As an American, I think it's a particularly bad idea to break the rules in Iran, don't you?" she wrote in response to a media post. With regard to the criticism of her photos in the required conservative outfit, Wright wrote: "I think it is wrong to direct this anger at me instead of at the people who make these laws." She has since left the country.

Iran has strict dress codes in accordance with Islamic law. Women are repeatedly punished harshly for violations. However, since the protests in autumn 2022, more and more Iranian women have been ignoring the strict Islamic regulations. Religious hardliners are trying to fight this. A new law imposes draconian penalties. The reform has already been passed by Parliament, but has not yet come into force.

Most recently, the flogging of a 33-year-old sparked an outcry. As human rights activists reported at the beginning of January, Iran's judiciary punished the Kurdish activist Roja Heschmati in the capital Tehran with a total of 74 lashes. The woman herself drew attention to the execution of the sentence on Facebook and described it impressively.

bam/dpa