IRAN UPHOLDS HIJAB LAWS AS ENFORCEMENT DEBATE INTENSIFIES

Thu 16 October 2025:

Iran’s judiciary spokesman confirmed on Tuesday that hijab laws are still enforced, despite growing public debate and increased instances of people openly disregarding the Islamic Republic’s mandatory veiling policy.

Ali-Asghar Jahangir’s remarks come after conservative politician Mohammad Reza Bahonar suggested there was no binding hijab law, a comment that sparked controversy among hardline figures, which he later retracted.

Jahangir said Bahonar had since “corrected his statement,” adding that enforcement of hijab-related penalties continues under existing laws.

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Earlier this month, Bahonar said the Hijab and Chastity Law, which Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) quietly suspended in May, was “no longer legally enforceable.”

He also said that while some in Iran insist hijab must be compulsory, he has “never believed in the mandatory hijab — not from the beginning, and not now.”

Following backlash from Tehran’s ultra-hardliners, Bahonar on Saturday retracted his remarks opposing the mandatory hijab, calling it a “social necessity” and urging punishment for those who defy it.

According to a 2022 survey by independent Netherlands-based research group GAMAAN, over 70 percent of men and women in Iran opposed mandatory hijab laws.

Since Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022, which triggered nationwide protests, the mandatory hijab policy has remained a contentious issue, with more women openly defying the rules in public despite warnings, fines, and surveillance.

In major cities, women are increasingly appearing without headscarves in public and sharing videos online as acts of civil disobedience.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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