Son of senior Iranian official flaunts £3,000 Louis Vuitton bag, private jet and glamorous female companion wearing regime rule-breaking outfit… as citizens in the republic face hardship

The son of a senior Iranian official sparked outrage by flaunting his £2,690 Louis Vuitton bag on social media while boarding a private jet with a model wearing an outfit that broke the regime’s strict dress code, at a time when millions of Iranians are struggling to meet their needs and face ongoing repression.

Influencer Sasha Sobhani, whose father Ahmad Sobhani is a former ambassador to Venezuela, was spotted twirling his 20-year-old girlfriend Laura Neimas before the pair boarded the plane.

In a clip posted on her Instagram account on Wednesday, the 38-year-old model can be seen kissing the Spanish model, who was carrying a £25,000 Hermes Birkin bag, aboard the jet, which is allegedly heading to Ibiza for the opening weekend of the 2026 season.

The camera follows Sobhani as she moves towards the back of the plane, where she sprawls out on a luxury sofa, raises her hands to the sky and shouts: ‘Thank God for all these blessings.’

While many Iranians face arrest, violence and strict state controls, Sobhani wrote in his post: ‘Ibiza will open in 2026’ [fire emoji] ‘I will choose the winners from the comments who will accompany us on our adventure in Ibiza.’

In another video, Sobhani and a friend are seen enjoying Persian food while sitting on a traditional rug mid-flight, before the camera pans to the view outside the plane’s window.

Sobhani is part of a group in Iran known as aghzadehs, the privileged children of senior regime figures who enjoy political power, corruption and sanctions evasion.

As Iranian authorities continue to tighten their control over society, privileged children continue to live lavishly both abroad and at home, with security officials saying they will stay as long as ‘enemy threats’ continue.

Sobhani has created a controversial online persona focused on extreme wealth

Sobhani’s father is the former Iranian ambassador to Venezuela. He is photographed here with his 20-year-old girlfriend, model Laura Neimas.

Sobhani, who has nearly four million followers, has built a controversial online persona focused on extreme wealth, flaunting superyachts, private jets, luxury cars and boozy parties with scantily clad women; it’s a lifestyle that causes anger among Iranians.

This generosity stands in stark contrast to daily life in Iran, where many people face economic hardship, political repression and the broader effects of ongoing regional tensions.

Earlier this month, Iran declared a temporary ceasefire with the United States, and Trump extended it on Tuesday to give Tehran time to present a unified peace proposal.

However, the ceasefire has repeatedly become tense, with both sides accusing each other of violations regarding the use of the Strait of Hormuz following its closure by Iran, the effects of which were felt most by Iranian citizens.

The conflict, which started in February, reportedly cost the lives of more than 3,000 people across Iran.

Despite this, Sobhani continues to flood social media with images of his opulent life, including frequent trips to ski resorts and luxury yachts with Ms. Neimas, often by private jet.

The couple made their relationship public on Instagram in May 2024, after getting together in December 2023.

Before their relationship, Sobhani often shared photos of herself surrounded by different women with very little clothing; one of which showed her posing on a boat in Dubai in 2023, surrounded by seven bikini-clad women.

Sobhani is part of a group in Iran known as aghzadehs, the privileged children of senior regime figures who enjoy political power. Here is a picture of him surrounded by different women on a luxury yacht.

In the picture, Sobhani and Neimas are seen eating fast food on a private jet

As Iranian authorities continue to tighten their control over society, privileged children continue to live lavishly both abroad and at home, with security officials saying they will stay as long as ‘enemy threats’ continue. Picture: Sobhai and Neimas pose next to a sports car while eating fast food together

In Iran, women are required to dress modestly, including covering their hair and neck with a headscarf or headscarf, and wear long, loose-fitting clothes that cover their arms and legs.

Ms. Neimas’s own social media closely mirrors hers, with similarly curated posts showcasing designer fashion, luxury travel and public displays of affection to her 351,000 followers.

Her Barbie-esque page is filled with posts celebrating their relationship; these include photos of Sobhani with her arms around him and a post tagged Marbella showing McDonald’s products along the spoiler of a green Porsche. The couple can be seen diving into the meal despite their toned bodies.

In particular, the model closed the comments on some posts featuring Sobhani, while other posts were showered with praise from her followers.

In a recent video, Sobhani appears topless on a private jet while Ms. Neimas is perched on his armrest mid-flight, munching on American KFC. The couple, who ate a bite of fried chicken and hamburger, kissed while posing for the camera.

The caption reads: ‘There’s so much hate in the world, I always choose love. ‘No more war, just peace, just us, just hearts aligned.’

Other posts show the couple kissing in luxury cars on holiday; In one of the photos, Ms. Neimas is sitting next to him.

A photo of the couple wearing bathrobes in the exclusive Swiss resort of St Moritz was captioned: ‘They judged me for what I am not, they made up and talked things without knowing the truth, but thanks to a few real ones and especially you. Laura, my love, who always knew who I really was when everyone was talking… I was just learning how to stay strong in the silence.’

Despite her large following, Sobhani has faced backlash for her flamboyant lifestyle. Here he is photographed on a yacht with his girlfriend

Sobhani, whose real name is Mohammad Reza, now lives in Spain after leaving Iran in 2019, claims that Iranian authorities targeted him due to his lifestyle and criticism of the regime.

He is reportedly wanted in Iran on charges including money laundering and running illegal gambling operations, which he denies. Here he is seen posing with his sports car

Despite her large number of followers, Sobhani faced backlash for her flamboyant lifestyle, with critics writing in Persian: ‘They praise our rights with our money’, ‘These should be sent to Iran’, ‘This is disgusting’ and ‘Thank you father!’

Ms. Neimas also faced criticism. A post showing it over Sobhani’s shoulder, under a Christmas tree, in front of designer gifts including Dior, sparked comments like: ‘Iranian people’s money. ‘Enjoy the blonde lady’ and ‘With the money of the Iranian people’ [sad face emoji]’.

Another critic warned: ‘Don’t get too used to these days. Your partner will be with your father very soon and they will both be back where they truly belong.’

Undeterred, Sobhani documented gifting Miss Neimas a Porsche worth nearly £54,000 for Valentine’s Day this year, writing: ‘I’m not just giving you a gift today… I’m making you a promise. A promise to protect you, respect you, and choose you every day. Thank you for adding light, peace and meaning to my life. Happy Valentine’s Day my love.’

Sobhani, whose real name is Mohammad Reza, now lives in Spain after leaving Iran in 2019, claims that Iranian authorities targeted him because of his lifestyle and criticism of the regime.

He is reportedly wanted in Iran on charges including money laundering and running illegal gambling operations, which he denies.

In response to Iran’s extradition request, he told Spanish newspaper El Mundo in 2021: ‘I criticize the regime, the lack of freedom they have, I teach them how I live and I say they can live that way too.’

Sobhani has since been publicly disowned by his father, who allegedly tried to change his son’s behavior before leaving Iran. Ahmed Sobhani told Fars News Agency: ‘Mohammad Reza is my child. But he is different from me in lifestyle and beliefs, and all my efforts to steer him on the right path have failed.’

Sobhani was publicly disowned by his father, who allegedly tried to change his son’s behavior before leaving Iran

Economic sanctions have had a heavy impact on Iran’s general population, increasing inflation and reducing incomes.

Asr-e Iran, an Iranian publication, recently estimated that up to four million jobs may have been lost or affected by a combination of war and the government’s near-total shutdown of the internet.

This comes at a time when nearly 10 million people in Iran depend on digital connectivity for their livelihood.

But critics say these challenges have largely eluded the country’s ruling elite, allowing relatives of top officials to maintain privileged, luxurious lifestyles like Sobhani’s.

While Sobhani boards his private jet and frequents luxury car dealerships, he continues to ignore the reality facing many Iranians who continue to grapple with mounting repression, insecurity and financial hardship.