Iran Protests: A year in review (WARNING: Contains some graphic content.)
Over 100 days of nationwide protests in Iran have demonstrated the greatest pushback against the decades-old regime and its repressive policies, showing the world that the people demand rights they have long been denied. (CREDIT: The Foreign Desk)
Twitter did not take well to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, lecturing the West on women’s rights and freedoms in advance of Women’s Day celebrations in Iran.
Khamenei shared videos and photos of a meeting with Iranian women "in cultural, social, academic, and scientific fields" on Jan. 4, just days before the birth of "Lady Fatimah Zahra, which is #Women’s Day in Iran," the religious leader explained.
Zahra was daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, according to Islamic tradition.
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A photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a meeting in Tehran. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
Khamenei led off his string of six tweets attacking the West for the "capitalistic system" on Wednesday, arguing that since "capital is more in the hands of men, men have a higher priority" in the Western world.
He continued in another tweet: "Even now women are paid less than men for doing the same work in many Western countries. Women are being misused. Under the pretext of women’s emancipation in the 19th and 20th centuries, women were pulled out from their homes to work in factories with lower wages."
"You’re shooting at women who won’t comply w/ your misogynistic rules and hanging the men who defend them," Hudson Institute senior fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs fired back at Khamenei.
Khamenei also criticized the West for hypocrisy over women’s rights. "The ultimate disgrace of the West is that despite the problems in their society such as sexual slavery and the female sex trade, they claim to be the flag bearers of women’s rights."
"Dude you’re literally from Iran," one YouTuber, "JosiahRises," wrote back.
Iran faced down its worst protests in years after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was killed in September while in police custody.
She was reportedly arrested for wearing her hijab incorrectly.
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Two women vividly demonstrate their disdain for the current Iranian regime during a protest in Dag Hammerskjold Park across from the U.N. headquarters. (John Mantel for Fox News Digital)
Khamenei also took aim at western capitalism, which he portrayed as male dominated. "The West’s capitalistic system is dominated by men. In #capitalism, capital is something higher than humanity. Humanity is being used to serve capital. Thus, any human being who can generate and accumulate more capital is more valuable."
Actor Mark Pellegrino called on Twitter owner Elon Musk to ban Khamenei’s Twitter account. "Why does this douchbag have a twitter account? Totalitarian criminals do not have a right to free speech @elonmusk."
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Khamenei said he was "deeply heartbroken" over the death of young Amini in Oct. 2022, but claimed that the riot was "planned" by "America and the Zionist regime."
Fox News’ Paul Best, Greg Norman and Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.