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A flurry of comments on Twitter and the dead man's Instagram account exposed the intense resentment felt by Iran's squeezed middle classes towards an increasingly wealthy elite, who have been driving around in flashy cars in recent years while the majority suffer under international economic sanctions passed against Iran's nuclear programme.
Apart from Porsches, high-speed models including Bugattis, Maseratis and even Rolls Royce began flooding into Iran during the administration of the firebrand former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - even though high Iranian import tariffs means such cars cost more than double their selling price in Western countries.
Some commentators have attributed the spread of such status symbols to a widening inequality and rampant corruption tolerated by Mr Ahmadinejad, who allowed a small band of individuals to become rich by granting them the right to sell oil, foreign currency and gold, despite his stated commitment to social justice.
Such luxuries feature heavily on the Instagram account Rich Kids of Tehran, which has drawn attention and criticism for its depiction of glitzy and hedonistic living inaccessible - or even prohibited - for most Iranians.

A true history of human events would show that a far larger proportion of our acts are the results of sudden impulses and accident, than of that reason of which we so much boast.

 

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