TEHRAN, Iran — Hardline Iranian authorities have expressed concern about the teaser for a forthcoming music video by Los Angeles-based Iranian pop singer Sasy, denouncing the appearance of adult star Alexis Texas who is seen dancing fully-clothed next to the singer.
The very short teaser for Sasy’s upcoming video for his Persian dance hit “Tehran Tokyo” published on the Iranian Rubika app has “prompted outrage among authorities who have launched an investigation," the Associated Press reported today.
The Rubika app is being investigated by officials, according to a report by the Tehran government-linked ISNA news agency.
Unlike U.S.-based companies under the much-debated Section 230, Iranian platforms do not appear to have immunity for liability for content uploaded by third parties.
Alexis Texas is seen merely swaying to the song’s beat standing next to Sasy and wearing a short black dress, but the Iranian officials appear to be objecting to her solely based on her occupation as a sex worker, deeming her “an American pornographic actress.”
Underground Music and 'Soft War'
Sasy is reportedly popular among Iranian teens and the song makes reference to marijuana. His work is “not authorized” in Iran, where he was an “underground singer” until 2009, before emigrating.
“Under Iranian law, foreign-made music, even Persian-language ones, needs permission from authorities,” the AP reported, adding that “under pressure from hardliners, the Iranian government has long blocked access to many websites and social media platforms, from YouTube and Facebook to Twitter and Telegram.”
“Many Iranians, especially youths, access social media through VPNs and proxies,” the report continued. Facebook-owned Instagram and WhatsApp are not blocked, even though there have been calls from religious moralists and hardliners in the government to ban them.
According to a 2019 intelligence paper by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Iranian government believes it is “explicitly engaged in a ‘soft war,’ or jang-e narm, with the West — especially the United States,” which is waged through cultural institutions and propaganda instead of military actions.
Tehran hardliners view Texas’ appearance in Sasy’s video as a deliberate “soft war” provocation.