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Iran vows wider policing of cafes, fashion and online content in morality push

Nov 19, 2025, 13:54 GMT+0
Iranian women visit the Tehran Design Week event in a gallery in Tehran, Iran, November 16, 2025.
Iranian women visit the Tehran Design Week event in a gallery in Tehran, Iran, November 16, 2025.

Tehran’s prosecutor said on Wednesday authorities will intensify coordinated action against alleged social violations, targeting networks accused of promoting Western-style clothing, improper hijab and other behavior deemed unlawful by the Islamic Republic.

Ali Salehi told a meeting of judicial, military, police and security officials that stronger cooperation across government agencies was needed to “safeguard religious and moral values,” according to the judiciary’s media outlet.

Salehi said what officials describe as social “abnormalities” had long been part of what he framed as a foreign-directed cultural campaign, warning that such trends were damaging “family foundations and social stability.” 

He said 28 state bodies have legal responsibilities in the areas of hijab and public morality and urged them to expand “positive cultural measures” alongside enforcement.

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Iranian women visit the Tehran Design Week event in a gallery in Tehran, Iran, November 16, 2025.
Iranian women visit the Tehran Design Week event in a gallery in Tehran, Iran, November 16, 2025.

The prosecutor called for tighter oversight of public spaces, telling police units to focus on alcohol sales and events “contrary to social norms” in restaurants and cafés. 

He said some domestic clothing producers were promoting “Western patterns” and requested intervention by trade and enforcement bodies to curb the trend.

Salehi also cited what he described as organized criminal groups involved in prostitution, alcohol distribution and other offences, saying that “police and intelligence forces should take swift and decisive action.”

He added that monitoring of online platforms must be strengthened, citing their role in amplifying content the state views as anti-values.

His comments follow repeated warnings by Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, who earlier this month told prosecutors that enforcing compulsory hijab and confronting what the state calls “social abnormalities” are top priorities. 

Ejei has said prosecutors must hold event organizers and permit-issuing bodies legally responsible for violations at their venues and pursue groups officials deem coordinated or foreign-linked.

Authorities have in recent months stepped up closures of businesses accused of violating hijab regulations, targeting cafés, restaurants and wedding halls in several provinces. Judiciary-affiliated media have said the emphasis is shifting from individual enforcement to holding companies and institutions accountable.

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