Zarif: The regime has decided not to pressure women regarding hijab; strong reactions from opponents

The strategic deputy of the Iranian president claimed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that the Islamic Republic has "decided not to pressure women regarding hijab." Mohammad Javad Zarif stated in an interview with renowned CNN host Fareed Zakaria on Wednesday, February 22, that "if you walk the streets of Tehran, you will see that some women do not wear hijab, and despite this being illegal, the government has decided not to pressure women." He continued by saying this is a "promise made by Mr. Pezeshkian" and that it has been achieved with the efforts of him and the satisfaction of senior Iranian officials, including the head of the judiciary, the speaker of parliament, and the National Security Council. Zarif also mentioned that currently, four cabinet members are women and added that he believes these four members "have chosen to wear hijab themselves because they believe in the laws of the country." Regarding the "tolerance" towards the issue of non-compliance with mandatory hijab, he stated that this decision was made in line with "moving towards the right path," but it is not enough and is merely a preliminary step. This claim comes amidst increased actions by the security and law enforcement agencies of the Islamic Republic against women and girls opposing mandatory hijab in the months following the protests of 2022, which erupted in response to the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police. The security and law enforcement agencies have taken measures such as closing businesses, depriving women of public services, street confrontations, and detaining women to counter the rising wave of Iranian women refusing to comply with mandatory hijab. However, with these efforts failing, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, dominated by hardliners, passed a plan known as "Chastity and Hijab," which imposes penalties such as "fines in the tens of millions of tomans, confiscation of property, and heavy imprisonment" against women. This plan, which has been approved by the Guardian Council, has not yet been communicated by the head of the executive branch. Experts from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have emphasized that this plan aims to impose systematic discrimination to suppress women and girls to force them into absolute obedience to the government. The UN fact-finding committee has also warned that with the approval of this plan, women and girls in Iran will be increasingly exposed to violence, harassment, and arbitrary detentions. Zarif's remarks about the "regime's decision" to not be strict regarding mandatory hijab have faced significant negative reactions on social media, with users pointing out the continued violence and penalties against Iranian women and the ongoing atmosphere of intimidation. Critics believe that his statements present a distorted image of the internal conditions in Iran and attribute some recent achievements in reducing social pressures on women to popular efforts and resistance rather than government policies. There have also been criticisms of Zarif's role in shaping international narratives about Iran and the performance of the Islamic Republic in losing important economic and political opportunities. Some have criticized Zarif for not explaining issues such as fines and financial penalties imposed on women for mandatory hijab. In another part of the interview, Zakaria mentioned that Iran has lost a massive amount of money, weapons, and military personnel in Syria, and the power of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas leadership has diminished, indicating that Iran is much weaker than before and has reportedly lost its regional arms. Zarif, opposing this interpretation, claimed that the "existential reason" for the groups supported by the Islamic Republic in Syria and other groups is "not the Islamic Republic." Previously, two former members of parliament in Iran had warned that with the fall of Bashar al-Assad, $30 billion of the Syrian regime's debt to Iran has disappeared. Additionally, a "secret" document attributed to the Iranian presidency leaked online last August, indicating that of the $50 billion estimated to have been spent by the Iranian government in the Syrian civil war, only the repayment of about $18 billion has been determined. Radio Farda does not independently verify this information. In response to Zakaria's question about whether Iran has made such "blind" financial and military investments in these groups if they do not obey the Islamic Republic, Zarif stated that such unsuccessful investments exist worldwide but claimed that "we defend human rights." He also responded to a question regarding US intelligence estimates about the sufficiency of the Islamic Republic's enriched uranium reserves to produce several nuclear bombs, stating that Iran has no such program and if it wanted to, it would have built a nuclear bomb much earlier, and these claims are an attempt to "securitize" the issue of Iran. He attributed Donald Trump's withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 to the efforts of his advisors, such as National Security Advisor John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Brian Hook, who was in charge of Iran in his previous administration, and noted that none of these individuals are present in the new Trump administration, expressing hope that this time, "Trump 2" will be more serious, focused, and realistic. His remarks come at a time when some members of the new Trump administration have emphasized the need to revive maximum pressure against the Islamic Republic.