U.S. Foreign Policy and Public Opinion

A 34‑second video of an Iranian refugee in Toronto lighting a cigarette from a burning photo of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—an act that can carry the death penalty inside Iran—has gone viral worldwide and spawned copycat demonstrations across Europe, Israel and the United States. Filmed Jan. 7, one day before Tehran imposed a near‑total internet blackout, the clip shows the woman unveiled, smoking in public and torching Khamenei’s image, defying three taboos at once and earning her the online moniker “cigarette girl.” Protesters abroad have begun recreating the gesture at rallies, using Khamenei posters to light their own cigarettes as Iran intensifies a crackdown that activists say has killed thousands and as President Trump publicly weighs possible military action and further sanctions. Iranian state media have announced waves of arrests and seizures of Starlink satellite gear, while skeptics online debate whether the original moment was spontaneous or staged—underscoring how viral imagery, AI manipulation fears and brutal repression are colliding in the latest phase of Iran’s uprising. For U.S. audiences, the episode illustrates both the reach of diaspora activism and how seemingly small acts of defiance can become global flashpoints in debates over how Washington should respond to Iran’s crackdown.