On September 18, Musa Ghazanfarabadi, head of the Legal and Judicial Commission of Iran’s parliament, announced that the Guardian Council had approved the Chastity and Mandatory Hijab bill. Ghazanfarabadi claimed that the bill should now be communicated to the government for implementation. He emphasized that all state organizations and institutions are required to cooperate in enforcing the law and must refrain from obstructing its execution.
This announcement follows a prior statement from the Guardian Council, in which they expressed objections to certain provisions of the bill, requesting that the parliament address these concerns. Key issues included the identification of unveiled women through video surveillance, the accuracy of these identification systems, the extent of penalties, and the method of collecting fines.
Some media outlets, citing parliamentary sources, have reported that the bill now includes increased fines for violations, replacing the automatic withdrawal of fines from citizens’ bank accounts with a one-week payment deadline. Ghazanfarabadi stated that the government had accepted these changes and urged state media to raise public awareness about the bill’s provisions.
Despite these announcements, questions remain. The bill’s approval has not yet been listed in the Guardian Council’s official records. If enacted, the bill would require the 14th government to implement a law that contradicts one of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s key campaign promises—to request the withdrawal of the Chastity and Mandatory Hijab legislation.
The government’s silence on the matter is seen by many as a sign of its compliance with the law, despite its contradiction with Pezeshkian’s earlier stance. The bill outlines harsh penalties for women found in violation of the mandatory dress code, including social service restrictions, bank account seizures, and, in some cases, property confiscation. These measures are being enforced at a time when Iran is witnessing widespread resistance to the mandatory hijab, particularly from women and girls.
In a recent press conference, President Pezeshkian suggested that an agreement had been reached to stop police enforcement of the dress code against women. However, senior officials from the police force refuted his claims, stating that the morality police continue to operate in urban areas, and women who violate the dress code are still receiving vehicle impoundment notices via text message.
Prominent regime figures, including Friday prayer leaders, have reiterated their commitment to enforcing the mandatory hijab, calling it a “red line” for the regime. They also vowed to continue with the so-called “Noor Project,” which aims to strengthen social enforcement of the dress code.
The Attorney General of Iran has gone even further, likening opposition to the mandatory hijab to a disease. During a ceremony in Zanjan on Wednesday, Mohammad Mowahed declared that a legal case had been opened against women and girls resisting the law, saying: “Today, we are facing the problem of rejecting the hijab in the country, which is a disease in itself.”
The approval of the Chastity and Mandatory Hijab bill signals an escalation in security measures against women. According to the bill, judicial and law enforcement authorities are granted increased powers to crack down on women who fail to comply with the dress code, and the authority of the regime’s police force has been extended to enforce these laws with greater rigor.
