The Dire State of Press Freedom in Iran

The ban extends similar restrictions previously placed in cities like Arak and Tabriz and was reportedly influenced by an incident in Arak where a female fan without mandatory hijab, referred to as a 'jimmy jump', embraced Esteghlal FC's goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini at the end of a match.

Additionally, recent tensions escalated during a match between Persepolis and Sepahan FC, where verbal altercations between female fans of Persepolis and male fans of Sepahan further complicated the situation.

The newspaper Etemad highlighted what it describes as a "strange project" to re-ban women from stadiums, suggesting that each minor incident is being used as a pretext to justify broader restrictions.

"This time, a general directive to ban women's entry to stadiums will not be issued. Instead, any small or significant incident in any stadium will be used as a pretext to ban women's entry to that particular stadium. Later, it will probably be told to FIFA that women's entry to stadiums is not banned, but in a specific stadium, it has been temporarily suspended until the infrastructure is improved in the near future," wrote Etemad.

Conversely, the conservative Kayhan daily, which has ties to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, supports the exclusion of women from stadiums. It argues that the environment at football matches makes the spaces unsuitable for families and women.

The ongoing debate over women's presence in stadiums has been a contentious issue in Iran, with FIFA pushing for inclusivity for several years. Despite occasional relaxations allowing limited female attendance, persistent barriers continue to restrict their full participation, often under the guise of protecting cultural values or awaiting infrastructural upgrades.

According to one merchant interviewed by Sobh-e Sahel, the increase compounds the already significant strain on the country's production and industrial sectors due to ongoing inflation and international sanctions.

The assembled crowd chanted slogans like "We object" and demanded the revocation of the new tax directives.

The protest comes on the heels of similar actions earlier in the week when gold retailers in cities such as Tehran, and Tabriz either shut down or scaled back operations to voice their discontent with the government’s tax policies and legislative attempts to impose higher taxes.

A local retailer told Sobh-e Sahel that in addition to a base 20 percent tax on goods, merchants are compelled to add another 10 percent in VAT, a policy that significantly diminishes the purchasing power of consumers.

The broader economic context in Iran remains grim, with numerous reports over the years highlighting a sharp increase in poverty and the deteriorating financial conditions faced by its citizens.

As the government prepares to implement new tax regulations across several sectors such as gold, currency, housing, and automobiles, discontent continues to rise.

On April 22, the Etemad newspaper criticized the newly imposed taxes as exacerbating the issues, suggesting that such fiscal policies could deepen poverty and expand the impoverished demographic within the country.

The action was in direct retaliation to Iran's unprecedented missile and drone strike on Israeli territory last month. Regev's statement marked the first time an Israeli official publicly acknowledged responsibility for the attack in April.

"We responded with a message which was received by Iran and the world which observed that Israel is no sucker," Regev stated in an interview with the right wing Channel 14.

Following Iran's first-ever direct assault on Israel, which involved over 350 cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones, mostly intercepted by Israel and a US-led coalition of allies, Israel's counter strike aimed to recalibrate the balance without escalating to full-blown conflict.

The destruction of a key component of the S-300 air defense system at the Isfahan base, revealed through satellite imagery analysis, illustrates the precise nature of Israel's military response.

Iran, likely seeking to avoid a broader regional war, downplayed the damage to its airbase and stated it would not retaliate further despite having the capacity to do so. Tehran has also lessened its verbal aggression towards Israel recently.

Iran's air offensive was triggered by an Israeli air strike on Iran's Damascus consulate compound last month, in which at least one senior Quds Force commander was assassinated and several senior IRGC figures killed in the blast.

As the Gaza war rages on, sparked by Iran-backed Hamas's invasion of Israel on October 7, negotiations are underway regarding a potential ceasefire. Talks began on Saturday, aiming to secure the return of some hostages of the remaining 133 hostages held by Hamas.

The CIA director was in Cairo for the talks but Israeli officials continued to reiterate that Israel's war aims remained in place - the release of the hostages and the elimination of Hamas, with no permanent ceasefire option available.

Washington, along with other Western powers and Israel, which label Hamas as a terrorist organization, has encouraged the group to agree to a deal. Progress on this front has faltered due to Hamas' persistent demand for a commitment to cease the offensive. Israel, on the other hand, maintains that it would resume military operations aimed at disarming and dismantling Hamas after any temporary truce.

On Friday, Hamas expressed a willingness to approach talks in Cairo with a "positive spirit," having reviewed the latest proposal, details of which remain largely undisclosed.

Since Hamas's initial cross-border invasion on October 7, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in 252 hostages as per Israeli tallies, the violence has escalated. Gaza's health ministry reports that over 34,600 Palestinians have been killed.

The dynamics are further complicated by Iran's historical support of Hamas. According to an exclusive report by The Times, secret documents discovered during the Gaza war reveal that the Iranian government provided significant financial support to the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, totaling at least $222 million from 2014 to 2020.

Previously, Tehran has admitted to financing and training Hamas, and while it has applauded attacks on Israel, it denies direct involvement in specific attacks, though celebrations were held across Iran just hours after the October 7 invasion and Hamas leaders continue to meet with Tehran's leadership amid the war.

The relationship between Kurdistan and Tehran has been marked by conflict sparked by Iran's military actions against Kurdish exile groups and accusations of Kurds harboring Israeli Mossad agents.

An escalation occurred in January when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a location in Kurdistan, alleging it was a Mossad base.

The IRGC missiles hit a civilian house in Erbil belonging to Peshraw Dizayee, killing him and 4 members of his family. Dizayee was a business mogul and head of Falcon Investment Group. Following the raid, IRNA, the Iranian state news agency, released a report that accused Dizayee of collaborating with Israel.

The president of the region, Nechirvan Barzani, arrived in Tehran on Sunday. Accompanied by a delegation of senior officials, including Interior Minister Reber Ahmed, President Barzani is scheduled to meet with Iran's leaders including President Ebrahim Raisi, and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

The trip marks Barzani's first visit to Iran since attending President Raisi’s inauguration ceremony in 2021.

According to Bankipour, the bill mandates that all cameras in both public and private institutions be connected to the police force to monitor compliance with the Islamic dress code.

Bankipour said that “a first offense of violating the hijab rules would result in a suspended fine of 15 million rials (About 25 USD). A repeat offense would trigger an additional fine of 30 million rials (About 50 USD), accumulating to 45 million rials (75 USD) payable within three weeks.”

His comments emerge amidst controversy, as the Hijab and Chastity Bill has yet to receive approval from the Guardian Council.

The proposed law was drafted following widespread protests ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. Amini, 22, died in custody of the morality police for allegedly breaching the hijab mandate.

The utilization of CCTV for monitoring hijab adherence has raised concerns about privacy and the misuse of surveillance for financial gain through fines, rather than ensuring the safety of employees.

Previous government actions have included seizing vehicles from women who removed their hijab while inside their cars, requiring hefty fines for their release, despite such measures having no basis in Iranian law and the vehicle being considered a private space.

Bankipour said changes such as laws requiring municipalities to convert 20 to 30 percent of parks into areas exclusively for women are underway as the state continues its battle against a nationwide hijab rebellion.

Massive numbers of Iranian women in public spaces like streets, shops, malls, restaurants, and even government facilities, can be seen without the mandatory hijab as the nation's women defy the long-standing rule imposed since the founding of the Islamic Republic, in spite of state crackdowns.