Women are increasingly appearing in public without headscarves across Tehran and other Iranian cities, turning everyday streets, cafés and shopping districts into the frontline of a renewed confrontation between society and the Islamic Republic’s conservative establishment.
Although compulsory veiling remains legally required, the morality patrols that once dominated public spaces have largely disappeared from routine street life. Residents report that women now walk unveiled—and sometimes in short sleeves—in Tehran, Isfahan, Rasht and even traditionally conservative Mashhad. The change, accelerated during Iran’s recent war, is widely viewed as an extension of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising triggered by Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody in 2022. RFE/RL reported in June that enforcement had visibly weakened across major cities, although restrictions continued inside government institutions.
The growing defiance is now provoking increasingly alarming warnings. Major General Bahman Kargar, head of Iran’s Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defence and Resistance Values, declared Thursday that the country’s hijab situation was “unacceptable” and had progressed beyond unveiling to what he described as “nudity and licentiousness.”
Kargar accused ministries, cultural bodies, banks, schools, universities, Tehran Municipality and law-enforcement institutions of neglecting their responsibilities. Officials, he said, must not use the war as an excuse for inaction. He warned that allowing the trend to continue would generate public resentment and ultimately create “security issues.” Although claiming to oppose coercive enforcement, Kargar demanded action by the police responsible for commercial premises and called for measures against shops, events and even businesses using “live mannequins.” His remarks were published by Javan Online.
The warning comes amid signs that enforcement is already returning through economic pressure, surveillance and selective arrests. At least 20 cafés and restaurants have reportedly been closed in Tehran, while another recent wave affected businesses in Qaen, Khomein, Kerman, Ardabil and other cities. Three cafés were sealed and 16 people arrested in Ardabil, although their identities and precise charges were not disclosed. IranWire documented closures involving cafés, clothing boutiques and even an optician after a customer and employee allegedly failed to observe the dress code.
A viral video from Amol has further intensified concern. It showed a young woman wearing shorts being confronted by a pro-hijab woman before police intervened and forced her to cover her legs and hair.
The government’s position remains deeply contradictory. The tougher 2024 Hijab and Chastity Law is still suspended following a Supreme National Security Council decision—reportedly because authorities feared another nationwide revolt—yet older compulsory-hijab provisions remain active. Interior Ministry spokesman Ali Zeyni-Vand recently confirmed that the suspension had not been lifted, while saying business closures were being reviewed through state security channels.
Hardliners, meanwhile, are accusing President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration of allowing “immorality” to spread. The escalating rhetoric, closures and street interventions suggest that Iran’s undeclared hijab truce may be collapsing—setting the stage for another potentially explosive confrontation between women determined not to retreat and an establishment that regards their uncovered hair as a threat to the state itself.
Photo: AI generated