US pornography actor accused of posting propaganda for Iran
An American pornography actor has faced accusations of promoting propaganda for Iran’s government after boasting on social media about a trip to the Islamic republic.
Iranian authorities have denied being behind the visit by Whitney Wright, saying she was issued a visa like any other foreign citizen and they had not been aware of her “obscene” profession.
The posts by Wright, who is known for her vehement criticism of Israel, have angered Iranian exiles as she showed herself observing the strict Islamic dress code for women.
In September 2022 protests erupted after the police custody death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly flouting the dress rules.
“American porn star Whitney Wright is in Iran, my birth country, where women are killed for simply showing their hair and being true to themselves,” US-based Iranian dissident, Masih Alinejad, wrote on X, saying Wright had been “completely covered up” in the images.
“Iranian women don’t want to obey a discriminatory law,” she added.
At the US embassy, which closed under the severing of US-Iranian diplomatic relations after the 1979-1981 hostage-taking of staff by Islamic radicals, Wright posed next to a flagpole with a torn US flag on the ground. She was dressed in a long headscarf, trouser suit and long coat.
Association Femme Azadi, a Francebased collective for Iranian women, said on social media: “Whitney Wright, an American porn star was invited to Tehran to promote the Islamic republic. They stop at nothing.”
Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanani, denied any knowledge of her trip, but noted that despite the political tensions “it is not forbidden” for Americans to visit Iran.
A source told the Tasnim news agency that she was not invited by any organisation in Iran and the visa system “was not aware of the nature of her immoral and obscene occupation”.
Wright hit back at the criticism of her images from her trip – which now appear to have been removed – by asking: “Posting photos of my Iran trip now means I’m pushing Iran propaganda?”
“Just sharing what I saw on the inside and outside.”
The Iranian reports made clear she had already left Iran but it was not clear how long she stayed.