The head of Iran's Supreme Court has made a veiled threat after a female journalist mentioned the morality police at President Masoud Pezeshkian’s inaugural press conference.
Mohammad Jafar Montazeri stated, "If the morality police are to be addressed, then the 'inappropriateness' of that journalist should also be considered," seemingly alluding to Maryam Shabani's headscarf, which revealed a small portion of her hair.
Iran has been named by Freedom House as the world's most oppressive nation for press freedom, with dozens imprisoned in the wake of the 2022 uprising.
At Pezeshkian's press conference on Monday, held a month after his coming to office, Shabani began her question by mentioning that she had to navigate various alleys and back routes to avoid encounters with the morality police on the streets.
In response, Pezeshkian downplayed the seriousness of her remarks, saying, "Are they still bothering you? They were supposed to stop that. We’ll tell them to stop."
Criticizing Pezeshkian's approach, Montazeri remarked that while Pezeshkian emphasizes national unity as his slogan, such “unity should not come at the expense of relinquishing our core beliefs and fundamental principles.”
During his pre-presidential campaign, Pezeshkian had criticized the presence of the morality police. However, the police have reaffirmed their commitment to Project Nour, the establishment's hijab enforcement initiative that has been in effect since April, insisting that it remains a binding law.
Despite scaling back for a short time after the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 - a tragedy that sparked months-long protests in Iran known as the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement - the morality police continue to maintain a presence on the streets.
Following Amini's death, more than 550 Iranians were killed as the government responded with full force to what has been the most significant challenge to the establishment's legitimacy since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979.
The most recent publicized instance of the ongoing pressure on women in Iran involves 31-year-old Arezou Badri. After allegedly violating hijab rules, she was shot by police and suffered severe injuries to her spine and lungs. While hospitalized in extreme pain and unable to sit or eat, she was coerced into making a confession.
Two years after the protests ignited by Mahsa Amini’s death, a UN Fact-Finding Mission report released on Friday highlighted the persistent human rights violations in Iran, particularly targeting women.
Ahead of the anniversary, Amnesty International also raised alarms, condemning the Iranian authorities' brutal crackdown on the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement. The organization emphasized the establishment's ongoing "war on women and girls," noting the intensified repression of those defying stringent veiling laws and the increased use of the death penalty to stifle dissent.
The rights group highlighted the country's persistent culture of impunity for crimes under international law.
In a Tuesday address to the country’s Olympic and Paralympic teams, Khamenei called on officials to compensate athletes who withdraw from matches against Israel, describing it as a "sacrifice" for national and religious ideals.
The directive is nothing new in Iran where athletes face pressure to forfeit matches against Israeli opponents, but with waning compliance, the country's supreme leader reiterated the country's hardline approach.
Some athletes are even going as far as shaking hands with Israeli competitors as cracks begin to show, a gesture that would have been unthinkable under Khamenei’s system.
Last year, Iran’s Weightlifting Federation (IRIWF) imposed a lifetime ban on Mostafa Rajaei after he shook hands with an Israeli athlete at the World Masters Championships in Kraków. Rajaei, who secured second place in his category and stood on the podium draped in the Iranian flag, greeted Israel's Maksim Svirsky, who finished third.
The two were photographed shaking hands and conversing, sparking outrage from the IRIWF and the Iranian government, which prohibits its athletes from engaging directly with Israelis. The IRIWF condemned Rajaei's actions as an "unforgivable" violation.
Iran’s hardline stance against Israel in sports has become a longstanding policy since 1979, with athletes pressured by government-controlled sports federations to either forfeit or intentionally lose matches. Those who comply are often rewarded handsomely. Some reports suggest that athletes who refuse to compete against Israel receive rewards equivalent to gold medalists.
"Our athlete refuses to compete or play against a Zionist opponent, and because of this, they pay a price. We must not neglect the well-being of this athlete," Khamenei said. The Iranian leader also emphasized that it is the government’s duty to address the livelihood and employment needs of the athletes, many of whom are under immense financial strain.
But as the Islamic Republic tries to uphold its anti-Israel stance, more athletes are fleeing the country to seek freedom. Since the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom uprising and the death of Mahsa Amini, the number of defecting athletes has skyrocketed.
The International Olympic Committee’s Refugee Team included 14 Iranian athletes in the 2024 Paris Olympics, athletes who had fled Iran due to political repression and the forced policies within the sports sector.
Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei, left Iran and since competed under Mongolia’s flag, facing off against Israeli opponents regularly in global competitions.
This wave of defections has been fueled not only by the government’s anti-Israel policy but also by the corruption in Iran’s sports federations. Female athletes, in particular, face additional challenges due to the mandatory hijab, which has sparked international criticism.
Khamenei has also praised athletes who dedicate their victories to the Palestinian cause, such as those who have offered their medals to Ismail Haniyeh and taken photos with the Palestinian flag. He described these acts as "a display of spiritual strength and self-confidence of the Iranian nation" against its enemies. According to Khamenei, such gestures “carry a lot of meaning in the world."
In this week's address, Khamenei commended Iranian women athletes for wearing the hijab during international events, seeing this as a sign of their "national, religious, and Islamic identity."
He even went so far as to praise male athletes who refuse to shake hands with women during award ceremonies, calling it "meaningful" and a demonstration of "self-confidence."