Foreign Minister Zarif made the comments during a meeting with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“If you go to the streets of Tehran, you will see women with their hair uncovered. This is against the law, but the government has decided not to put pressure on women,” the former foreign minister said.
The vice president said this decision was a campaign promise by President Massoud Pezeshkian, which is now being fulfilled.
Zarif explained that the president had decided not to implement a law aimed at penalizing women who refuse to cover their hair in public, a decision that was agreed with the speaker of parliament and the Iranian leadership. He said that the decision was made based on the following. Justice and National Security Council.
Foreign Minister Zarif also said the move to take pressure off women was “not enough” but “a step in the right direction”.
In September 2022, protests erupted in Iran over the death of Martha Amini, a young woman who was allegedly wearing a loose hijab while in police custody. The protests then turned into riots incited by foreign-backed elements.
Pezeshkian ran for president on the platform of domestic socio-economic reform and more constructive engagement with the world.
MNA/