SAEDNEWS: A tirade from a once-prominent voice of the reformist movement has jolted Iran’s cultural elite and laid bare the growing ideological fractures within the Islamic Republic’s arts and censorship establishment.
According to Saed News, Hussein Dehbashi — a historian and documentary filmmaker who rose to national prominence as the media architect behind Hassan Rouhani’s 2013 presidential campaign — launched a blistering, expletive-laden attack on Minister of Culture Mohammad Ali Pezeshkian and his ministry over the official authorization granted to screen Pir-e Pesar (Old Boy), a controversial new film.
In a now-viral tweet, Dehbashi fumed:
Translation:
“Shame on the Minister of Culture and all his gutless, brainless staff. Shame on all those pathetic degenerates, perverts, and imbeciles who failed to stop this film full of filth, trash, and vomit. And then they say foreign agents haven’t infiltrated the state? You’re the disgrace yourselves... #PirePesar”
The post, published at 1:18am on July 13th, rapidly gained traction online, surpassing 47,000 views and prompting heated debate in both cultural and political circles. While harsh criticism of Iran’s Ministry of Culture is not uncommon, Dehbashi’s unusually crude language and accusatory tone have shocked observers, given his previous role as a prominent insider during the Rouhani administration.
At the centre of the dispute lies Pir-e Pesar, a feature film that has apparently struck a nerve among Iran’s cultural traditionalists. Though authorities have not officially disclosed the film’s plot or themes, critics have suggested it challenges moral taboos or depicts content considered subversive by hardline standards.
Dehbashi’s eruption comes amid growing tensions over cultural control and the erosion of formal censorship boundaries under the new administration. His comments, while extreme, reflect broader discontent among conservative intellectuals who believe the Islamic Republic is backsliding in its moral commitments under pressure from internal reformists and external cultural influence.
What makes the episode politically explosive is the identity of the critic: not a hardline cleric or marginal agitator, but a figure who helped craft the public image of a moderate president and once advocated for civil discourse and cultural openness.
The Ministry of Culture has not responded to the tweet, and Minister Pezeshkian remains silent. But the controversy has reignited debates over who shapes public morality, what constitutes acceptable dissent, and how far the government can — or should — go in controlling artistic expression in a rapidly polarising society.
As Iran grapples with internal divisions and mounting external pressures, the row over Pir-e Pesar offers a vivid snapshot of a culture war unfolding not in smoky salons or theological seminars, but on Twitter — in 280 characters of fury.
