Iran's Khamenei defends hijab as more women flout strict dress code

Supreme leader tells women that those who wear the headscarf ‘can progress more than others,’ after conservatives accuse judiciary of becoming lax on modesty laws

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday delivered a staunch defense of the hijab as more women flout the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code, prompting criticism from ultraconservatives.

His remarks came a day after more than half of Iran’s conservative-dominated parliament accused the judiciary of failing to properly enforce the law on mandatory headscarves on women.

Last week, Khamenei’s office faced backlash from some ultraconservatives after it published in its newspaper a photo of an unveiled Iranian woman killed in the June war with Israel.

In the picture, the woman appeared with a baseball cap on her head, her hair clearly visible.

“In the Islamic Republic, it has been shown that a Muslim woman, wearing the hijab and respecting the Islamic dress, can progress more than others in all areas and play an active role both in society and in her home,” said Khamenei in a meeting with a group of women.

“With this vision, established in the Islamic Republic after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, our women and girls have progressed in many areas.”

Iranian women perform a prayer for rainfall at the Saleh Shrine in Tehran on November 14, 2025, as the country suffers from severe water shortages. (AFP)

Covering the neck and head and dressing modestly became mandatory for women in Iran following the Islamic Revolution that overthrew the US-backed shah in 1979.

Women in Iran have in recent years been increasingly flouting the strict dress code, especially since nationwide protests following the September 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini.

The 22-year-old Iranian Kurd had been arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.

Amini’s death triggered months of unrest, with hundreds of people, including dozens of security personnel, killed and thousands more arrested in what authorities labeled foreign-instigated “riots.”

Iran’s government has refused to ratify a bill passed by the parliament in 2023 that would have toughened penalties for women who do not wear the hijab or dress improperly.

Since coming to power in July 2024, President Masoud Pezeshkian has maintained that women cannot be forced to wear the hijab.

In January, Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said the bill was shelved as it “could have had serious social consequences.”