Iran's morality police have intensified a crackdown on Islamic norms, with recent footage showing officers forcing a woman to cover her bare legs with trousers. Authorities have also sealed at least 42 cafes, gyms, restaurants, and shops across 17 cities in the past three weeks for alleged violations of compulsory hijab rules and Islamic dress codes.
The incident in Amol, northern Iran, captured a female officer confronting a young woman at a bus stop for not covering her legs. The officer stated, "What you’re doing is disgraceful. Even in Turkey, you couldn’t go out dressed like this. Stand up, please. Get up and leave." The woman initially apologized but later retorted, "It’s none of your business. Leave me alone and get lost." The video shows male officers then cornering the woman and compelling her to put on trousers, with the female officer adding, "Put on your headscarf."
Women in Iran have been required to cover their heads and necks since the 1979 revolution. The morality police, formally known as Gasht-e Ershad (Guidance Patrol), enforce modest clothing rules.
Among the businesses shut down were women's gyms, shops, cultural centers, cafes, and restaurants. In Qaen, an optician was closed for allegedly failing to comply with hijab rules. In Borujerd, two sports clubs were sealed by judicial order on August 4, and four women's sports clubs were closed in Yazd.
Recent reports also highlight the severe consequences for individuals accused of violating dress codes. A friend of one woman told the Daily Mail that the woman was placed in a psychiatric ward and is now undergoing forced monthly injections of schizophrenia medication after she protested the morality police's treatment by stripping down to her underwear. This occurred after her hijab momentarily slipped off at her university in November 2024. The woman, Ahoo Daryaei, was confronted by male officers, and in a protest against her treatment, she removed her outer clothing. Amnesty International called for her release, stating she protested "abusive enforcement of compulsory veiling by security officials." Iranian authorities, however, reportedly characterized her actions as a sign of mental illness, leading to the forced medication.