Lives of extravagant luxury posted on social media seem to be experienced by the sons and daughters of the ruling elite of Iran, while thousands of ordinary Iranians are being killed for daring to challenge the regime and protesting the poverty in which they find themselves.

And while the crackdown on anti-regime protests is bloody, with at least 5,000 dead, according to Iranian authorities, and some 16,500 according to independent organizations, the children of senior clerics, ministers, and security chiefs remain sheltered from the bloodshed, living luxuriously, both inside and outside the country.

As the Daily Mail reports, the sons and daughters of the people who control Iran continue to pose with designer handbags, super cars and private jets. Just a week before the unrest erupted, model and fashion designer Anasheed Hosseini posed online wearing an expensive cream cashmere coat and holding a bag whose value, according to critics, exceeds the annual income of many Iranians.

Hosseini is married to the son of the former Iranian ambassador to Denmark. She has become a symbol of elite excess, causing public outrage. Hosseini belongs to the “anchazadehs,” the children of senior regime officials who benefit from political power, corruption, and wealth derived from circumventing sanctions.

Hosseini is no exception. Other children of the Iranian elite live abroad, run businesses, and own assets beyond the reach of the Iranian economy.

Among them are Mohammad Hossein Samkhani and his brother Hassan, known as “Hector”, who are based in Dubai and run a global shipping empire. Their father, Ali Samhani, is a former security chief of the Islamic Republic and a senior adviser to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“Their lifestyle has angered Iranian citizens, especially Gen Z, especially because they see how these rich guys live, with no accountability for what they do,” said Ella Rosenberg, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Centre for Foreign Affairs specializing in Iran and the financing of terrorism.

“Their families, their parents and grandparents make sure that their lives in Iran are easy, full of luxury,” she added.

Khamenei’s relatives

Hamenei has several relatives in Britain and France, including his nephew Mahmoud Moradhani, while the grandchildren of the founder of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, have settled in Canada.

The brother of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, teaches cybersecurity in Scotland, while former president Hassan Rouhani’s children live in Austria and studied at Oxford.

About 5,000 “anchazants” live in America

According to a former Iranian minister, 5,000 “anchazadeh” live in America, Iran’s greatest enemy, the “Great Satan.”

A well-known example of the regime’s “anchazadeh” is Sasha Sobhani, son of a former Iranian ambassador to Venezuela during Ahmadinejad’s presidency.

Sobhani has an Instagram account with millions of followers. He flaunts his ultra-luxury yachts, private jets, fast cars, and lavish parties with half-naked women, causing public outrage in his country.

Unlike many others in the elite who keep a low profile, Sobhani has repeatedly challenged his critics. And after showing off his lavish lifestyle, he then sought to distance himself from Tehran, which is seeking his extradition from Spain on charges that include running illegal gambling websites, money laundering and organizing rave parties. He denies the allegations.

Turkey is a popular destination

During the unrest, wealthy Iranians were seen moving to neighboring Turkey to entertain and socialize away from the violence. This was because it was feared that at the time of the protests, they themselves might become distanced.

Van province in eastern Turkey, which borders Iran in the mountains, has become a popular destination, with members of the Iranian elite gathering in bars and nightclubs as protests were violently suppressed in their home country.

Sharp contrasts in the districts

Despite Western sanctions on the regime, the lifestyle of Iran’s elite appears to remain largely unaffected, both at home and abroad. In the affluent districts of northern Tehran, such as Elahiye, which is often likened to Beverly Hills, luxury cars continue to drive past expensive cafes, upscale boutiques, and modern apartment towers, offering a stark contrast to the economic hardships faced by the majority of Iranians.

The sanctions have hit the wider economy hard. Prices have soared, wages have collapsed. However, critics of the regime argue that the adverse effects have not hit those at the top of the system.