What the Instagram feed of the great grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini can tell us

Back in 1979, one man, Ayatollah Khomeini, captured the world's attention. He was a bearded cleric in his black robe and turban who led Iran's Islamic Revolution.

Fast forward 36 years and it's the late Ayatollah's greatgrandson who's in the spotlight. Thanks to Instagram, people all over the world can get a glimpse into the life of the Khomeini family, especially that of the 18-year-old Ahmad Khomeini.

"Ahmad's Instagram feed is pretty fascinating," says Hanif Kashani, an Iranian American who has written about the Khomeini family for The Guardian's Tehran Bureau. "There is a lot of intimate, behind the scenes family photos," Kashani says, adding that Ahmad has a younger sister and brother.

He also posts selfies and in them, he's seen wearing clothing with Western brands. "You can see he's wearing Burberry, a Tommy Hilfiger shirt, a Nike shirt, he clearly has an iPhone," explains Kashani.

It would have been unthinkable for the Khomeini family to indulge in expensive, Western clothing back in the days of the Islamic Revolution. What the late Ayatollah Khomeini wanted to see was an Iran free of any Western influence, a country where the "downtrodden" are at the top. But as rebellious as Ahmad Khomeini's Instagram account may come off, Kashani says it's also a tool to appeal to the younger generation.

"Basically, through his Instagram account, he's relating to Iranians in ways that no other aging clergy man could do," Kashani says.

According to him, the photos are carefully chosen and the captions are "nuanced and coded."

Kashani adds that as the great grandson of the late Supreme Leader, Ahmad Khomeini understands how heavy his task is. He also knows how to reach an audience. "If Iran, for instance, had a minor league for rising political stars, this young man would be the country's No. 1 prospect," Kashani says.

Read Hanif Kashani's full story here.