An Iranian woman faced harassment and was forced by the morality police to cover her bare legs in public for wearing shorts, as the regime intensifies its crackdown on dress code violations.
The incident, captured on viral video on the streets of Amol in northern Iran, depicts a confrontation between a woman wearing shorts and another individual who admonished her for not complying with the country's mandatory hijab law.
"What you’re doing is disgraceful," the traditionalist yelled at the woman waiting for a bus. "Even in Turkey, you couldn’t go out dressed like this. Stand up, please. Get up and leave."
The woman in shorts retorted, asking the instigator to leave her alone, but the latter continued to confront her, stating, "You’ve got no right to come out looking like this. How dare you come out dressed like this! Don’t let it happen again!"
Morality police officers intervened, providing the woman with pants to cover her legs and ordering her to put on a headscarf.
This event occurs as Iranian authorities have reportedly shut down at least 42 cafes, women's gyms, restaurants, and stores in the past three weeks for dress code violations, according to Iran International. These crackdowns have been observed in more than 17 cities, including the capital, Tehran.
Hossein Salari, a deputy prosecutor in Ardabil, has indicated that inspections of establishments selling clothing deemed to harm the "public chastity" of Iranian society will be increased.
Iranian law requires all women and girls over the age of 12 to cover their hair with a hijab and wear modest clothing. The strict enforcement of this law gained international attention following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.