Under the cover of war: The regime in Iran intensifies pressure on civil society, and the morality police return to action
The leadership in Tehran is escalating the struggle over hijab-wearing in the streets. The morality police are returning to the streets and confronting citizens. Authorities are conducting a widespread wave of business closures for those who did not respect hijab laws. The conservative stream calls for intensifying the struggle.
In recent weeks, Iran has closed dozens of businesses that did not strictly adhere to hijab-wearing regulations. The crackdown has been recorded in major cities, including Tehran, Mashhad, and Yazd. Simultaneously, there has been an escalation in the regime's struggle against citizens on social media. According to reports and documentation, the morality police are returning to the streets.
Under the cover of a sense of victory in the war, the regime in Iran is taking a tougher line domestically. The war has not halted the regime's struggle against women who do not wear a hijab, and recent weeks have seen an intensification in enforcement against civil society. Authorities are increasing pressure on cafes, gyms, and activists, while signs of renewed morality police activity are reappearing.
Alongside enforcement on the ground, tougher voices are being heard from the Iranian establishment. Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the conservative newspaper Kayhan, has called on authorities to enforce the mandatory hijab law and demanded that senior officials be held accountable for failing to act against violators. It is evident that the sense of victory in the war is projecting confidence for the leadership in domestic policy, pushing it to exert heavier pressure against the backdrop of the trauma felt by regime opponents following earlier crackdowns.
At least 42 businesses closed within three weeks
Calls for intensified enforcement coincide with a wave of business closures across Iran. At least 42 cafes, restaurants, shops, and sports clubs have been closed in the last three weeks due to violations of hijab laws and what authorities define as Islamic norms. These figures are based on reports from state media and human rights organizations.
The scope of closures in the last three weeks is particularly significant, reaching about 22% of the 191 closure cases documented by the Iranian human rights organization HRANA throughout the previous year. Authorities use various pretexts for these closures, ranging from "failure to maintain Islamic standards" to suspicions of gambling or lack of sanitary permits.
Mohsen Sayyadi, head of the trade supervision system in Mashhad, stated that during the first four months of the current fiscal year, 104 businesses were closed, compared to only five in the same period the previous year—an increase of approximately 20 times.
Pressure on social media and the return of patrols
The campaign is not limited to the streets. According to HRANA, between July 11 and August 1, at least 23 businesses were closed, at least 72 social media accounts were blocked or seized, and operators of 21 pages were forced to publish statements committing to follow the rules. Those affected include bloggers, athletes, artists, and fashion industry figures.
The intensification of enforcement comes alongside signs of the morality police returning to the streets. Reports of renewed patrol activity have emerged from Amol, Rasht, Isfahan, Tehran, and Qom. Despite this, many women continue to appear in public without a hijab, turning their appearance into an act of civil resistance.
Even harsher punishments, such as flogging, have not necessarily led to compliance. Reports indicate a growing clash between the regime's policy and social reality, where going out without a hijab has become a form of political protest and a way to remember those killed in previous demonstrations.
