Unrest feared

Iran: Veto against hardline headscarf law

Massoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran, vetoed the headscarf law passed by parliament on Sunday and called in the National Security Council. Pezeshkian fears new unrest.

According to a report in the daily newspaper "Hamshahri", presidential advisor Ali Rabiei justified this step with the social impact that the law could have.

The council is the Islamic Republic's highest decision-making body on security issues. Pezeshkian hopes that the law will be at least partially revised there.

Iran's President Massoud Pezeshkian(Bild: APA/AFP )

Severe penalties threatened, no exceptions for celebrities
The headscarf law passed by Islamic hardliners in parliament provides for severe fines or the denial of public services for women who do not comply with the headscarf requirement. Celebrities are to be punished particularly severely: They face bans from their profession and from leaving the country, as well as the confiscation of up to five percent of their assets.

Law now on ice for the time being
Following fierce criticism in the country, including within the government, the implementation of the law has been put on hold for the time being. Pezeshkian is also against the law, as he fears not only social resistance but also new unrest.

Power struggle between hardliners and moderates
Observers also see the dispute over the law as a power struggle between hardliners and moderates and, as a result, a serious challenge for Pezeshkian. If he is unable to prevail against the hardliners, the continuation of the moderate course he promised during the election campaign would also be jeopardized.

Mass protests for "woman, life, freedom"
Many women in Iran's major cities no longer adhere to the strict Islamic dress code in protest. The trend followed the mass protests in the fall of 2022 under the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom".