Iran Delays Stricter Hijab Law Implementation Amid Concerns of Protests

Iran has decided to pause the implementation of a new, stricter law mandating women to wear the hijab, an official confirmed.

Many observers believe that the law could have triggered mass protests similar to those following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, The Caspian Post reports, citing Euronews.

The controversial law, approved by Iran’s parliament in September 2023, will not be sent to the government this week as planned, according to Shahram Dabiri, vice president in charge of parliamentary affairs. The development effectively means that Iran has halted enacting the legislation.

"According to the discussions held, it was decided that this law will not be referred to the government by the parliament for now," Dabiri told the pro-reform Ham Mihan daily this week.

The decision to delay the law - which imposes harsher penalties for women refusing to wear the hijab and for businesses that serve them - was made by senior executive, legislative, and judiciary bodies, according to Dabiri.

It is currently "not feasible to implement this bill," he added, without giving further details.

Had the bill passed to the government, Iran's reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian would have had little room to manoeuvre. By law, he's required to endorse bills within five days, after which they take effect in 15 days. The president has no authority to veto bills.

Pezeshkian could potentially appeal to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the ultimate authority on state matters, to intervene.

If the bill had been enacted, the president could have also refused to act on the law or instructed police not to enforce it, potentially triggering a constitutional crisis that hard-liners might exploit to weaken his position.

Pezeshkian earlier described the legislation as having "many questions and ambiguities".

The legislation’s proposed measures include fines ranging from $800 (€760) for first offences to $1,500 (€1400) for second offences, and prison terms of up to 15 years for third offences.