The issue of the hijab has returned to the center of public debate in Iran, where conservative authorities are seeking to tighten enforcement of rules governing women’s dress. In response, many women continue to appear in public without headscarves, challenging the legal requirement.
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Pressure on businesses has intensified in recent weeks. According to the human rights organization HRANA, at least seven cafés and restaurants were closed in Tehran on July 19 over suspected violations of hijab regulations.
The campaign has not been limited to the capital. In South Khorasan province, authorities have closed 10 cafés for alleged violations of “social norms and mandatory hijab rules.”
Further warnings have been issued to cafés, restaurants and shops that tolerate clothing deemed inappropriate by Iranian authorities.
Despite the measures, young women are increasingly being seen on the streets of Tehran and other cities with their hair uncovered and wearing clothing that contravenes official codes. Images have also circulated on social media showing groups of women riding motorcycles without hijabs in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan.
The current confrontation is directly linked to the protests of 2022, which began after the death of Mahsa Amini. She had been detained by the morality police over the way she wore her headscarf, and her death became the spark for the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, which spread across the country and was violently suppressed by the authorities.
Four years later, opposition to the mandatory hijab remains particularly strong among young women. Meanwhile, clerics and hard-line political figures are calling for the return of stricter enforcement, describing the absence of the hijab as a threat to Iran’s religious and cultural identity.
State media have also intensified their rhetoric against what officials call “public undressing” and “indecent behavior.” Conservatives are demanding tougher measures against both women and businesses that fail to comply with dress codes.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, however, has adopted a more cautious line. He has expressed doubts about the effectiveness of imposing compliance through laws and force. “Changing behavior is a cultural matter; you cannot create trust among people through force,” Pezeshkian said.
The debate is unfolding amid an atmosphere strained by war, the economic crisis and inflation. For this reason, some politicians and segments of society believe the government should pay more attention to the cost of living and economic hardship rather than increase pressure on women’s clothing.
The conservative camp, however, insists that the authorities continue enforcing the rules. Iranian legislation criminalizes women appearing in public without what is defined as the “Islamic hijab,” while the way these rules are enforced has changed over the years. A harsher law passed in 2024 provided for heavier penalties and expanded surveillance, but its implementation was suspended.
So far, the authorities appear to be avoiding a broad street operation. Instead, they are applying pressure through business closures, inspections and warnings.
A woman from Tehran, quoted by CNN, said young women were appearing in public wearing clothes that, just a few years ago, would have been unimaginable in Iran. According to her, it is difficult to believe that the authorities can force these women back to wearing headscarves.
She also recalled the period after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when Iranian women did not think the hijab could be imposed on them. In the end, however, the rule was introduced.
The current clash over the hijab thus remains one of the most important cultural and social battles in Iran, where the authorities are facing a society that, despite the pressure, is increasingly challenging mandatory dress rules openly.
