Iranian authorities ordered the arrest of two women, the judiciary said Saturday, after a viral video appeared to show them being attacked by a man for not wearing the hijab. The footage, widely shared on social media in Iran, shows the two female customers—who were not wearing the mandatory hijab or headscarf—being assaulted in a shop after a verbal altercation. A man pours a bucket of what appears to be yoghurt over the women’s heads before the shopkeeper confronts him.
The judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported that an arrest warrant was issued for the man on charges of “committing an insulting act and disturbance of order.” Arrest warrants were also issued for the two women for “committing a forbidden act” by removing their headscarves. The notice added that the shop owner must comply with legal and Sharia principles according to regulations.
The incident follows the death in custody of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini in September, which sparked months of protests after the 22‑year‑old’s arrest for an alleged breach of the strict dress code for women. Hundreds of people were killed, including dozens of security personnel, and thousands were arrested in connection with what Iranian officials described as “riots” fomented by Israel and the West.
On Saturday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi reiterated that Iranian women should wear the hijab as a “religious necessity,” stating, “Hijab is a legal matter and adherence to it is obligatory.” In late March, the head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, said, “Removing hijab amounts to enmity towards values, and people who commit such abnormality will be punished.”
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