Hardline clerics and lawmakers have accused Iran’s government of neglecting mandatory hijab enforcement, after outrage over a mixed-gender event reignited debate on public appearance and the state’s waning control over personal freedoms.
The event, held in a café where participants appeared in what officials described as “unorthodox attire,” has renewed debate over the government’s role in regulating how citizens dress in public, Mehr News reported on Saturday.
“Authorities had effectively distanced themselves from responsibility, preferring inaction to a defined policy, even as disagreements over personal freedoms and appearance grow more visible across society,” wrote Mehr.
According to Iranian law, the national Working Group for the Regulation of Fashion and Clothing — established under a 2006 act of parliament — is charged with promoting clothing designs “reflecting Iranian-Islamic culture” and guiding the domestic market toward local styles while discouraging “foreign or unfamiliar models.”
The body has failed to meet those goals, Mehr reported. “The current state of fashion shows the neglect of this working group,” the outlet wrote, adding that “there is no sign of guidance in production or marketing.”
According to a 2022 survey by independent Netherlands-based research group GAMAAN, over 70 percent of men and women in Iran opposed mandatory hijab laws.
In Iran, the mandatory hijab serves not only as a religious practice but also as a political emblem woven into the state’s identity. Since 1979, its mandatory observance has been portrayed as a sign of revolutionary integrity and defiance toward Western cultural influence.
For hardliners, enforcing the hijab affirms the Islamic Republic’s legitimacy, while resistance to it is seen as defiance of state authority. As a result, women’s clothing has become a persistent political fault line.
Since the death in morality police custody of Mahsa "Jina" Amini in September 2022, many Iranian women have continued to reject compulsory hijab laws, turning individual gestures of dissent into a broader collective challenge. In Tehran and other major cities, appearing unveiled in public has increasingly become an everyday act of resistance.
Broader debate over hijab enforcement
The controversy unfolded as senior clerics and lawmakers renewed calls for strict hijab enforcement, despite the visible defiance of women and girls across Iran.
At a joint session of the Assembly of Experts, member Hashem Hosseini-Bushehri said “both cultural and economic neglect had caused distress among religious authorities and the public.”
“If the issue of hijab is not managed properly, it will worsen like a cracked dam,” Mojtaba Zolnour, a parliament member from Qom, warned Friday. He accused parliament’s leadership of inaction.
Friday prayer leaders nationwide echoed similar messages in coordinated sermons. Tehran’s temporary prayer leader Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari urged “observance of modesty in public,” while Shahrekord’s cleric Mostafa Hashemi said hijab was “a divine obligation, not a personal right,” and that neglecting it “disturbs the community’s psychological peace.”
Despite such rhetoric, the government has quietly suspended enforcement of a strict hijab bill amid fears of renewed protests.
Conservative figure Mohammad-Reza Bahonar said in a recent interview that “the era of ruling the country by forcing hijab through law is over,” adding that the Supreme National Security Council had cut the bill.
Yet in recent weeks, authorities have sealed cafés and restaurants across cities for noncompliance after outcry by hardliners. Police warned that all businesses “must observe current laws,” signaling that Iran’s long-running struggle over dress and personal freedom remains unresolved.
Bakhtegan, once the province’s largest wetland, has been dry for over 14 years, ILNA said in its report. “Except for a very small area, no water is visible.”
An environmental activist described the situation of Iran’s wetlands as deeply alarming. “The condition of wetlands is now very dire, and it seems that no specific body has taken responsibility for them,” Sirus Zare said in remarks cited by ILNA.
Dried wetlands have become new sources of dust storms, he warned. “Wetlands are naturally low-lying areas that have accumulated pollutants over thousands of years. Once dry, they turn into active dust centers that spread toxic particles,” he said.
Nationwide ecological collapse
The report linked the crisis to Iran’s overuse of groundwater and mismanaged water projects that have reduced the natural flow to lakes and wetlands nationwide. As a result, nine major wetlands dried up by the end of the last water year.
The Karun River, Iran’s longest waterway at more than 950 kilometers, is also nearing an environmental disaster, according to the report.
Further north, Lake Urmia has nearly disappeared after years of warnings from environmentalists. The lake now holds only about 100 million cubic meters of saline water spread over 200 square kilometers, with an average depth of less than half a meter. Experts say the lake is “practically dead” and may evaporate completely within days.
Expanding water crisis
Even Gilan province, one of Iran’s rainiest regions, faces shrinking wetlands. Gilan’s governor, Hadi Heghshenas, said in September that “If no solution is found, Anzali Wetland — an international ecosystem — will fall silent completely.”
On October 10, coinciding with the annual Zayandeh-Roud River Day, concerns mounted over the critical state of the river in the central Isfahan province. Lawmaker Abbas Moghtadaei blamed the Energy Ministry for failures in managing the crisis, saying land subsidence, dust storms, and shortages of drinking and irrigation water stem from mismanagement.
Environmentalists warned that ignoring water rights reflects systemic neglect of national water laws and deepening inequities in resource management.
“Marriage and having children must be considered part of a person’s résumé,” Amirhossein Bankipour, a member of parliament from Isfahan, said on Saturday, according to state media. “A woman who marries should receive more points, and a woman who gives birth should gain even more, because she is helping prevent a population crisis.”
Bankipour’s remarks come amid a government push to raise fertility under the 2021 Youthful Population and Family Support Act, which restricts access to abortions and contraceptives while providing loans, subsidies, and tax breaks for couples. The law aims to lift the fertility rate to 2.5 children per woman, but official data show it remains at about 1.6, far below the target.
Despite the incentives, as Iran’s economy has sharply deteriorated, marriage and raising children have become harder for many families. Inflation has eroded purchasing power, and basic expenses such as food, rent, and education have soared.
Health impact of restrictive population laws
While the government has linked population growth to national strength, its policies have also created new social pressures. The Shargh daily reported in September that restrictions on prenatal screening and abortion have doubled the rate of Down syndrome births, from 1.2% to 2.9% since the law took effect. Legal procedures for pregnancy termination now require both medical and judicial approval, even in cases of confirmed fetal abnormalities.
Public health experts have warned that the tightening of reproductive laws, coupled with deepening economic hardship, has fueled a growing underground abortion market and worsened inequality. At the same time, official figures show Iran spends only 2.9 percent of GDP on education, compared to the global average of 4.4 percent, contributing to what commentators describe as a widening social gap between poor and wealthy families.
Lawmaker defends incentives despite limited results
Bankipour said parliament has sought to address the economic dimension by increasing marriage loans and expanding housing programs for young couples. However, years of inflation and declining real wages have limited their impact.
He said the new proposal would help redirect social incentives toward family building. “Until now, degrees and job skills have determined status,” he said. “We need to tell the younger generation that forming a family and raising children are themselves national achievements that deserve recognition.”
