Tehranis rock out in defiance of Iran’s regime

A video circulating on social media shows a large crowd gathered in Tehran’s Iranshahr Street for a live performance of ‘Seven Nation Army’ by the White Stripes. In the joyful scene, men and women – with no veils in sight, most dressed in jeans and light jackets over T-shirts – dance and nod their heads to the iconic guitar riff of the 2003 rock hit, whose lyrics speak of defiance in the face of overwhelming odds.

Western music such as ‘Seven Nation Army’ has been heavily restricted in Iran since the 1979 revolution brought Ayatollah Khomeini’s theocratic dictatorship to power. But singer and lead guitarist Arshia and his band have been regularly performing rock music concerts like this one over weeks and months, with the singer’s recent social media posts showing street concerts at a number of locations around Tehran. 

In modern Iran, simple concerts like these have become a courageous form of protest. In 2024, Zara Esmaeili, another Tehran street musician, was arrested after a video surfaced showing her singing Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ without wearing a hijab as required by Iranian law. Since 2025, the Iranian regime has specifically targeted and censored the social media pages of female singers for ‘production of criminal content’ and ‘harming public decency’.

Posting the ‘Seven Nation Army’ clip to Instagram, the Iranian journalist Afshin Ismaeli commented:

‘Since the Mahsa Jina Amini protests, the regime has struggled to fully reimpose strict hijab rules or curb public displays like this. The government has become more cautious in recent months, especially after Israel’s attacks, fearing that harsh crackdowns could fuel further unrest or dissatisfaction among Iranians already frustrated with the situation inside the country.’

Woman, Life, Freedom

The Woman, Life, Freedom movement was sparked in 2022 by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, after she was beaten to death by Iran’s morality police for ‘improper headscarf’.

What started as protests led by women against compulsory veiling quickly grew into a nationwide uprising calling for an end to clerical rule and systemic discrimination. Yet despite mass arrests, executions, and violent crackdowns, many Iranians continue to demand freedom of dress, expression, and belief. 

The freedom to create and enjoy music is an expression of the broader human right to freedom of thought, choice, and expression. The act of making and sharing music speaks to the universal human right to express oneself freely and to participate in cultural life without fear or restriction or punishment.