Rumor – Iranian leader Ali Khamenei allegedly said that women are animals like cows and sheep created to serve men.
Analysis
Recently, the global geopolitical landscape turned its eyes to Iran following the significant events of February 28, 2026. Amidst this whirlwind of information and international tensions, a specific video began to go viral on social media. The footage shows an Islamic religious leader uttering strong words about the nature of women, comparing them to beasts of burden and consumption that allegedly received human form only to facilitate coexistence with and service to men.
Many posts accompanying the clip attribute the speech to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran who led the country for 35 years. This mass sharing occurs at a moment of extreme sensitivity, where speeches by Iranian leaders are closely monitored by internet users and media outlets worldwide. Read the message and the transcription of the content:
The web has recovered a speech by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the religious and political leader of Iran. In his speech, he argues that a woman is an animal like a cow or sheep, created in human form for man. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (1939–2026), who was the Supreme Leader of Iran for 35 years, was killed last Saturday, February 28, 2026, during a series of coordinated airstrikes by the United States and Israel in Tehran.
Transcription: They are like cows and sheep, they are animals, but God created them to be used by men. He created these women in the form of human beings. Otherwise, they would be like cows and sheep, and also like horses, camels, and donkeys.
Fact Check
To clarify the facts, let’s analyze the following: 1) Did Ali Khamenei say that women are animals like cows or sheep? 2) Who said that women are animals like cows or sheep? 3) Are there other fake news stories about Ali Khamenei and the war in Iran?
Did Ali Khamenei say that women are animals like cows or sheep?
No, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is not the author of the phrase. Although the video is being shared with the name of the recently deceased Iranian leader, the images and audio do not match his recorded speeches. Visual and authorship confusion is common during international crises, where central government figures are frequently targets of erroneous attributions to reinforce pre-existing narratives or cause public outrage.
Who said that women are animals like cows or sheep?
The man appearing in the video is, in fact, Ayatollah Sayyid Sadiq Shirazi. However, there is a crucial piece of context that was removed in the viral posts: he was not defending this idea, but rather criticizing a specific author. As pointed out by the verification service of SIC Notícias from Portugal, Shirazi was reading an excerpt from a book by a self-proclaimed Islamic scholar to denounce the absurdity of that writing.
In the full speech, Shirazi says: “There is this person, who is a well-known scholar (…), who presents himself as an Islamic scholar and, in his book, makes the following statement…”. After reading the passage about women being animals, Shirazi concludes by stating that such ideas go completely against the Quran, a book in which women are venerated and respected. Therefore, the video was edited to look like his own statement when it was, in fact, a denunciation of another author’s misogyny.
Are there other fake news stories about Ali Khamenei and the war in Iran?
Yes, the conflict and Khamenei’s death have generated a wave of misinformation. Recently, a rumor circulated that Iran had admitted to bombing its own girls’ school, which proved to be false. In the military field, computer game footage was used to claim that F-18 fighter jets escaped Iranian missiles. Even international political relations have been targeted, with false stories about requests for military bases to supply aircraft involved in the conflict.
Conclusion
It is false that Ali Khamenei stated that women are animals. The original video belongs to Ayatollah Sayyid Sadiq Shirazi, who was reading and criticizing a misogynistic text by another author, arguing precisely that such thoughts are contrary to the teachings of Islam.
Fake news ❌
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