Iran’s president criticises new hijab law

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed doubts about new legislation imposing tougher penalties on women who flout mandatory hijab regulations.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women in Iran have been required to cover their hair in public.

However, increasing numbers are appearing without hijabs, especially since protests erupted following Mahsa Amini’s death in custody in September 2022. She had been arrested for allegedly violating the dress code.

Parliament has approved the new “hijab and chastity” law, but it requires the president’s signature on 13 December to take effect.

“As the person responsible for promulgating this law, I have many reservations about it,” Pezeshkian told state television late Monday.

The text has not been officially published, but Iranian media reports say the legislation imposes fines equivalent to up to 20 months’ average salary for women who improperly wear a hijab or forgo it altogether in public or on social media.

Violators must pay within 10 days or face travel bans and restrictions on public services, such as obtaining driving licences.

“We risk ruining a lot of things in society because of this law,” said the Iranian president, adding that leaders must avoid actions that could alienate the public.

The morality police, who arrested Amini before the protests, have largely vanished from the streets since then, though the unit has not been officially abolished.

Pezeshkian, who became president in July after campaigning to remove the morality police, has yet to announce whether he will sign the law.