The Rich Kids of Iran
Scrolling through their Instagram account you would be forgiven for believing that the Rich Kids of Tehran are living it up in Beverly Hills.
However, the wealthy teens that feature on the Instagram account sprawling by private pools and enjoying boozy parties actually come from Iran.
The account has gained worldwide attention by revealing what life is really like for some inside the notoriously strict Islamic Republic of Iran.
Pictures show beautiful young women in revealing bikinis smoking shisha pipes in pools, while others wear sweeping ball gowns as they pose in multi-million pound mansions.
In other photos the youngsters can be seen partying in bikinis and enjoying buckets of champagne – controversial given their country’s strict religious rules.
The account was inspired by the hugely popular Rich Kids Of Instagram, which showcases the life enjoyed by extremely wealthy young people, largely from the United States and Europe.
Since the 1979 revolution, religious rules have required women to cover their hair and dress modestly while in public and also insist men must dress conservatively. Alcohol is also forbidden.
But in the pictures posted online, the glamorous young men and women are seen living the high life, partying in swimming pools as they enjoy foreign holidays and shopping in luxury stores.
Supercars that regularly feature include Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, Porsches, Aston Martins, Audis and Mercedes that are worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The owner of the page, who wished to remain anonymous, said that interests in the country are varied and range from ‘snowboarding, golfing, gym, horse riding to gatherings, luxury cars, fashion, luxury watches…and more fashion’.
They also revealed that ‘the cars all have been imported and there is 40 per cent import tax based on the actual price of the cars valued in Tehran. For example, if a car costs $200,000 you have to pay 40 per cent import tax before importing the car!’.
The account owners also regularly dismiss ‘haters’ who they say are just jealous of the lifestyle enjoyed by the country’s privileged youth.
They insist they just want to help share a more positive image of Iran and added: ‘Some Iranians and others do criticise us yes and we always welcome criticism and freedom of speech, but most criticism always come from hidden agendas!
‘However, watch out for the joy-stealers: gossip, criticism, complaining, faultfinding, and a negative, judgmental attitude.’
In one post, whoever is running the page hit out at a view that ‘many think we ride camels’, adding: ‘We ride German and Italian wheels and we dress Chanel, Gucci, Louboutin and Tom Ford!’
The account caused controversy in October 2014 when it suddenly stopped posting when it went viral, amid rumours that the government had shut them down.
That was denied by the owners and when the account reopened, a post stated: ‘We did not have any bad intentions and we are not against anyone. We wanted to show the luxurious side of Tehran to the world. Only thing we did was to post some pictures on Instagram.
Account owners defended the lavish lives that the young people lead and insisted that their parents are helping the country to develop.
They added: ‘What you don’t see or hear is the same parents of the same Rich Kids Of Tehran are helping and providing jobs for the people in Iran, as well as bringing revenue from import and export to the country. They are factory owners and business men who help the country.’
