The phenomenon troubling Iran has returned to the streets – and the regime has no solutions

Iran has been dealing with a struggle over women's modesty for years, but the situation appears to be worsening. While the regime has been occupied with the Israeli and American air forces over the last six months, the Islamic Republic has done almost nothing about the growing number of women openly refusing to wear a hijab.

At the height of the war, women without head coverings were seen even at rallies of government supporters and in state media. In one video, a bareheaded woman carrying the Iranian flag said that her husband serves in the army and that she is proud of him. It seems that for the authorities, who were busy with the war, enforcing the women's dress code was pushed to a lower priority. Now, conservative elements in Iran want to return the issue to the top of the list.

Clerics and conservative politicians are demanding action against what they call "public nudity," while cafes and other businesses are being closed for not enforcing dress codes, as reported by CNN. But at the same time, on the streets of Iran, women are not deterred — as videos on social media show young women riding scooters in Tehran and other cities wearing helmets but no head coverings.

A woman around 60 from Tehran told CNN that it seems the authorities are still hesitant to confront women directly:

"They still don't dare to say anything to people on the street. Girls in Tehran walk around in crop tops, shorts, and all kinds of clothing, and hijabs are actually no longer a thing."

Behind the selective enforcement lies an explosive calculation. For the regime, punishing businesses is one thing, but sending the morality police back to the streets to confront large numbers of women is an entirely different matter. Iran is dealing with the economic consequences of the recent war that has not yet ended, and opening another front at home against women carries clear risks.

Although in Iran and around the world the widespread protests of 2022 that ignited the streets are remembered as a failure, it seems that the regime was nevertheless influenced by that period and is careful not to ignite the streets during the difficult time their country is going through.