Severe Criticism from Rouhani's Deputy on Preventing Women's Attendance at Stadiums

On Saturday, June 30, the Iranian Vice President criticized the language used by what she called the 'pious pretenders and religious claimants' against women's attendance at sports venues, labeling it 'ugly, disgusting' and 'a clear example of several criminal offenses.' Shahindokht Molaverdi wrote on her personal Facebook page that 'in recent weeks, we have endured the most severe attacks from those who, two years ago, during such days, invalidated their methods and approaches, those who had hidden in their cave for eight years.' She also referred to threats against women's attendance at the Iran vs. USA volleyball match on Friday, June 29, stating that 'this scenario had been initiated months ago, at the time when they falsely tried to place this issue at the forefront of women's demands in my name.' Meanwhile, the Ansar Hezbollah website reported on Saturday, June 30, about the patrols of 'mounted teams' from this group to ensure that women were prevented from entering the Iran vs. USA volleyball match on June 29. According to this website, 'after coordination with the intelligence forces of the police,' the Ansar Hezbollah group was 'assured and guaranteed' that 'the entry of women, except for foreign nationals, would not be possible through the main entrance of Azadi Stadium.' This group had previously called on people in a statement on Tuesday, June 19, to gather in front of Azadi Stadium on June 29 to combat what they termed 'the immorality of loose women in society, especially in stadiums.' Following the match, Molaverdi, without naming the Ansar Hezbollah group, wrote on her Facebook page: 'The pious pretenders and religious claimants... with their repeated threats and violent confrontations on match day, addressed the pure and chaste women and girls of this land with the ugliest and most disgusting words and insults that were fitting for themselves.' Shahindokht Molaverdi emphasized: 'All this uproar is not about watching football, swimming, boxing, or wrestling, but about watching volleyball, which until two years ago had no specific ban and was considered normal.' The continued prohibition of women's attendance at volleyball matches comes despite the fact that last year, due to this ban, the International Volleyball Federation withdrew hosting rights for several global competitions from Iran. However, the newspaper Shargh, in its issue on Sunday, June 31, noted the presence of a few women at the Iran vs. USA volleyball match with 'non-Iranian passports,' stating that 'the presence of these few women is enough to eliminate the threat of losing hosting rights for Iran at least until the next match.' According to this newspaper, on Friday, 'special forces took strict measures to control the crowd, so that even one hour before the match, the entry of journalists faced difficulties.' The report indicated that during the match, 'the strict enforcement by security forces continued even in the VIP section, to the extent that the HD camera stationed there broke in the commotion.' The continued ban on women's presence in stadiums comes as the second match between the Iranian and American national volleyball teams is set to take place on Sunday evening in the 12,000-seat Azadi Stadium in Tehran.