Iranian authorities blocked the Instagram account of a Tehran restaurant after it posted a play on words that was interpreted as a political jab at the Islamic Republic.
The restaurant, called “Bibi’s Kitchen,” posted an Instagram story reading, “Nothing beats Bibi’s cutlet,” accompanied by Iranian pop star Moein’s song “Bibi Gol.” Shortly after the post went viral, the account was blocked by judicial order for what authorities described as “publishing criminal content.”
‘Bibi’s Kitchen’ in Tehran
On the surface, the post appeared to be promoting a dish on the restaurant’s menu. But in Iran’s political vocabulary, both words carry a double meaning. “Bibi” is an old-fashioned Persian term for grandmother. But it is also the well-known nickname of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and has appeared in anti-government memes and posts expressing support for Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic.
The term “cutlet,” meanwhile, became a political taunt after Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020, mocking the condition of his body after the attack.
Since then, opponents of the Islamic Republic have used the word to refer mockingly to senior regime figures killed in military strikes. The combination of “Bibi” and “cutlet” was therefore interpreted as a reference to Netanyahu and senior Iranian officials killed by Israel, although the restaurant itself did not explicitly make such a political statement.
Iranian authorities have acted against similar uses of the word before. In January 2023, prominent chef Navab Ebrahimi was arrested after posting a cutlet recipe around the anniversary of Soleimani’s killing. His restaurant was shut and his Instagram account was taken offline. Contemporary reports said social media users believed the cutlet post was connected to his arrest, although authorities did not publicly establish that as the reason.
In January 2024, doctor and university professor Mohammad Shoja was detained in the northeastern city of Bojnourd after posting a photograph of a cutlet on the night senior IRGC commander Razi Mousavi was killed.
In June 2024, the Iranian judiciary opened a case against playwright and theater director Hossein Pakdel for allegedly “disrupting the psychological security of society” after he wrote on Instagram that politics turns “stupid men into special diet cutlets.”
Sensitivity surrounding references to Israel has intensified amid the current conflict. Iranian authorities said in March that more than 1,000 people had been arrested on accusations including sharing anti-government material online or cooperating with Israel and the United States. The judiciary has also warned that some forms of assistance to hostile states can carry the death penalty.