Iran hesitant to enforce mandatory headscarf law as war and economic pressures mount

Iran's theocracy is hesitating to reimpose strict mandatory headscarf enforcement amid war and economic collapse, fearing a repeat of the 2022 protests that followed Mahsa Amini's death. Hard-liners demand a clampdown, but top leaders, including the supreme leader's father-in-law, acknowledge wartime conditions prevent a full crackdown. Women in Tehran increasingly go without headscarves, wearing crop tops and shorts in public, as authorities back off enforcement to keep the peace.

Iran's ruling theocracy is hesitating to reimpose strict enforcement of mandatory headscarf laws as the country faces war and economic collapse. The regime fears triggering a repeat of the mass protests that erupted after the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman detained by morality police. Security forces crushed those protests, killing over 500 people, but authorities subsequently backed off on enforcement to keep the peace. Now, hard-liners in the establishment demand a clampdown on women's dressing habits, but top leaders caution against a public backlash during wartime. Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, a politician and father-in-law of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, acknowledged last week: "We can't enter into that front as we ought to because of wartime conditions." An activist and former political prisoner, Pouran Nazemi, said the regime is "afraid of protests." Women in Tehran increasingly go without headscarves, wearing crop tops and shorts in public. A hard-line newspaper, Kayhan, called the trend a "security threat." The article reports these developments through attributed quotes and AP reporting, maintaining a neutral narrative voice.