Iran Cracks Down on Women Amid Tensions With Israel

While global attention remains on Israel's possible response to recent Iranian attacks, a government crackdown on women in Iran entered third day.

According to eyewitnesses, the Morality Police and plainclothed agents are apprehending women wearing non-compulsory clothing on the streets of Iranian cities.

🎥 تصاویری از حضور گسترده ون‌ها و خودروهای نیروی انتظامی در چهارراه ولیعصر تهران در شب گذشته، ۲۷ فروردین، در شبکه‌های اجتماعی منتشر شده است.
#اخبار_ایران pic.twitter.com/jndnjQKKNM

— ایران وایر (@iranwire) April 16, 2024

The authorities have also persecuted some women who did not have a headscarf in public.

Among them is Faezeh Abdipour, a student activist. 

On her social media account, she recounted, "I received a phone call summoning me; they contacted my father."

این ویدیو امروز در شبکه‌های اجتماعی (ابتدا تلگرام) منتشر شده که بازداشت یک دختر به دست گشت ارشاد همراه با خشونت را نشان می‌دهد.
گفته شده ویدیو سعادت‌آباد است.#گشت_ارشاد pic.twitter.com/qnALqinMiZ

— Farzad Seifikaran (@FSeifikaran) April 16, 2024

According to reports circulating on social media, several coffee shops in Mashhad were shut down in the early hours of Tuesday for serving women without compulsory covering. 

"If the police force's basis for this action is the Hijab and Chastity Law, it's important to note that this bill has not yet passed into law," MP Alireza Nouri Qazaljeh said. 

The police command in Iran's capital announced that beginning Saturday, there will be heightened enforcement of mandatory hijab laws, warning Iranian women and girls of legal repercussions if they fail to comply.