An Oklahoma-born American porn star is accused of conducting propaganda for the Iranian government after bragging on social media about a trip to the Islamic Republic.
Whitney Wright, 32, posted several images from her visit to Iran, including the shuttered US embassy where 444 hostages were being held and which now serves as an anti-American museum.
Iranian authorities have denied being behind Wright's visit, saying she was issued a visa like any other foreign citizen and that they were unaware of her “obscene” profession.
Wright is known for her strong criticism of Iran's arch-enemy Israel and has advocated for Palestinians online during Israel's war against Hamas.
US-born porn actress Whitney Wright, 32, is accused of promoting Iranian government propaganda after sharing images of her trip to Iran on social media
Wright wore a long, enveloping headscarf, a pantsuit and a long coat, in keeping with the dress code and a far cry from the usual skimpy attire worn by her 1 million followers on Instagram
Wright appeared completely covered up as she wore a headscarf during her visit to Iran
The former US embassy has been converted into an anti-American museum
The former embassy in Tehran is dedicated to all anti-American issues
Wright filmed herself throughout the Iranian capital, Tehran, even though her work in pornography theoretically exposes her to criminal charges that carry the death penalty.
As a US citizen born in Oklahoma City, she would have needed a visa to visit Iran.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency, believed to be close to the Revolutionary Guards, quoted an anonymous official as claiming that the government had issued Wright a visa despite being “unaware of the nature of her immoral and obscene employment.”
One of her stops was the closed US embassy in Tehran, which was closed after diplomatic relations between the US and Iran were severed in the wake of the 1979-1981 hostage crisis in which Islamist radicals kidnapped staff.
After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iranian students supporting Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini overran the site.
There, Wright could be seen next to a flagpole with a torn US flag on it.
She wore a long, enveloping headscarf, a pantsuit and a long coat, in keeping with the dress code and a far cry from the usual skimpy attire worn by her 1 million followers on Instagram.
“Whitney Wright, an American porn star, was invited to Tehran to promote the Islamic Republic,” the France-based association of Iranian women Association Femme Azadi wrote on X. “They stop at nothing.”
More than 50 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981 after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American embassy in support of the Iranian Revolution
In September 2022, women burned their headscarves. Following the death of Masha Amini, protests spread across the Middle East and the West
Iranian actor Setareh Pesiani cited Wright's visit to criticize Iran's hardline government for its mandatory headscarf policy, which led to the arrest and death of 22-year-old Amini
Wright's contributions on Iran have particularly angered exiled Iranians, as she carefully adhered to the strict Islamic dress code for women following nationwide protests against mandatory hijab in 2022.
These protests erupted following the September 2022 death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly violating the dress code.
Iranian actor Setareh Pesiani cited Wright's visit to criticize Iran's hardline government for its mandatory headscarf policy, which led to the arrest and death of 22-year-old Amini.
“You punish the people of this country with various methods when they remove their hijab, but you allow a porn actress to come here for tourist reasons!?” Pesiani wrote on Instagram.
“American porn star Whitney Wright is in Iran, the country of my birth, where women are killed for simply showing their hair and being true to themselves,” wrote prominent U.S.-based Iranian dissident Masih Alinejad on X, saying Wright was been “completely covered up” in the pictures.
Porn actor Whitney Wright, seen here, visited the former US embassy in Tehran, known as the “Den of Spies” and abandoned after the 1979 hostage crisis
Wright, who has campaigned online for Palestinians during Israel's war against Hamas, traveled to Iran and could be seen taking in the sights – albeit fully clothed
Wright's visit has sparked intense criticism of the country's crackdown on women since the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022 and the nationwide protests it sparked
“Iranian women do not want to follow discriminatory laws,” she added.
“We, the women of Iran, want to be like Rosa Parks and not like Whitney Wright,” wrote Alinejad, referring to the US civil rights icon.
“The real warmongers are the agents of the Islamic Republic who will execute you if you remain true to yourself.”
Wright responded to criticism of her photos from her trip by asking, “If I now post photos from my trip to Iran, does that mean I'm pushing Iran propaganda?”
“I’m just sharing what I saw inside and out.”
She described the U.S. Embassy as a place she “HAD to visit.” Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard now operates it as an anti-American museum.
“I'm sharing exhibits from a museum that have never been seen before,” Wright wrote on her Instagram. “It’s not an endorsement from the government.”
Wright responded to criticism of her photos from her trip by asking, “If I now post photos from my trip to Iran, does that mean I'm pushing Iran propaganda?”
The Iranian government granted Wright a visa, claiming it was “unaware of the nature of its immoral and obscene occupation.”
The US State Department also commented on Wright's visit, stressing in a statement that it had warned Americans to avoid travel to Iran and “exercise increased caution due to the risk of unlawful detention.”
The US State Department also commented on Wright's visit, stressing in a statement that it had warned Americans to avoid travel to Iran and “exercise increased caution due to the risk of unlawful detention.”
Americans and people with Western connections can be imprisoned and convicted in secret trials to later be used as bargaining chips in negotiations with Washington.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is a major driver of instability in the Middle East region and has been since 1979,” the State Department said.
“If Iran actually cared about peace and stability in the Middle East region or the well-being of the people there, it would stop supporting terrorist organizations.”
She left Iran, but it is unclear how long she remained in the country.
Wright appears to have been on a tour of the region and also posted pictures from Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco.