Iranians to Israeli PM: We are Free to Wear Jeans

Iranians are accustomed to jabs from Israel's prime minister. But this one hit a nerve: Claiming clampdowns by Iran's rulers extended to blue jeans.

Social media sites were flooded Monday with Iranians posting photos including an Iranian closet piled high with denim and a young boy in jeans whispering into the ear of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The backlash carried a more serious side, too. Some comments insisted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dangerously out of touch with ordinary life in Iran, where political dissent is often stifled but Western-style amenities are common.

In an interview broadcast Saturday, Netanyahu told the BBC's Persian language service that Iranians would be free to wear jeans and listen to Western music if the Islamic leadership removed its controls.