Iran’s hardline newspaper Kayhan, which operates under the supervision of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has warned that the growing tolerance toward unveiled women has now extended to “semi-nudity,” accusing officials of neglecting to uphold the country’s hijab laws.
In a commentary published on Saturday under the title Hijab and the Second Step, Shariatmadari said some authorities were publicly condemning “semi-nudity” among women while neglecting to reaffirm that unveiling itself remains prohibited. “It is as if unveiling has been removed from the list of forbidden acts,” he wrote, “and officials only caution against full or partial nudity.”
“This is exactly the enemy’s second-step tactic,” he added.
Shariatmadari described the approach as part of a deliberate psychological strategy to desensitize society. “When society suffers from a harmful phenomenon, the enemy seeks to normalize it by introducing an even more disastrous version,” he wrote. “In this case, they present semi-nudity so that people tolerate unveiling.”
Since the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police, enforcing compulsory hijab has become increasingly difficult, and the state’s ability to impose the rules has sharply eroded, particularly in major cities.
Since then, many women have continued to appear unveiled in public despite warnings, fines, and the return of hijab patrol vans, turning defiance into a daily act of resistance.
‘Officials still playing in the enemy’s field’
The Kayhan editor also repeated his long-standing criticism of the government’s handling of the hijab and chastity law, calling the legislation “suspicious” and “likely designed by infiltrators.” He said it “not only fails to stop unveiling but will expand it,” accusing the heads of Iran’s three branches of government of “preventing even the implementation of this incomplete law.”
Shariatmadari cited Khamenei’s earlier remarks that foreign enemies had deliberately turned the hijab issue into a political conflict. “They want to return the country to the pre-revolutionary state,” he wrote.
Addressing “semi-nudity” without confronting unveiling itself would embolden those seeking to erode Islamic values, he concluded. “Nudity is the result and continuation of unveiling,” he said. “Fighting it cannot succeed without a serious confrontation with unveiling.”
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran had managed the June war with Israel effectively and prevented it from spreading to the wider region, according to the Qatari network. He said Iran was fully prepared for any new confrontation and warned that Israel would face “another defeat” if fighting resumed.
Araghchi said Iranian nuclear sites were damaged in the war but its enrichment technology remained intact, with nuclear materials still at the bombed facilities.
He said Iran would not accept Western pressure and was ready for indirect talks with Washington to reach what he called a fair agreement on its nuclear program. Tehran was willing to address international concerns, he added, but would not make concessions after being attacked.
His remarks came a day after Egypt said it had urged both Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency to end the standoff over inspections of damaged nuclear sites. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said he conveyed the appeal to Araghchi and IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in separate calls aimed at reviving cooperation.
Iran suspended full cooperation with the UN watchdog after the June war with Israel and the United States, which struck several nuclear facilities. Under a post-war law, inspections now require approval by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and exclude access to the bombed sites.
Western powers accuse Tehran of hiding military dimensions to its program, while Iran insists its nuclear work is peaceful.
Tensions with Washington have sharpened after US President Donald Trump ordered the first American nuclear weapons tests in more than three decades. Araghchi called the move a regressive and irresponsible step and said it showed what he called US hypocrisy for condemning Iran’s nuclear work while restarting its own testing.