Imprisoned ‘Reformist’ Condemns Hijab Crackdown ‘On Khamenei's Orders’

Mostafa Tajzadeh, a political prisoner at Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, has voiced criticism against the Iranian regime's heightened enforcement of hijab laws targeting women.

The criticism follows weeks of the Iranian authorities' renewed efforts to violently crackdown on women refusing to wear the hijab.

Tajzadeh, who previously briefly served as deputy minister of interior, said the regime’s crackdown, called “Plan Noor”, is executed under the orders or with the approval of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Tajzadeh's background as a senior official has led him to assert that no other authority in Iran, aside from the Supreme Leader himself, holds the power to dictate police actions. The contentious “Noor Plan” was implemented in response to Khamenei's recent directives for security and judicial forces to enforce the government-mandated hijab, particularly targeting women and girls who challenge the dress code.

The plan has led to increased confrontations between citizens and security forces, reviving criticism domestically and internationally.

The backlash intensified particularly after the recent death sentence handed down for prominent dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi, and revelations about the murder and sexual molestation of teenage protester Nika Shakarami by BBC World, which caused global condemnation.

In his writing, Tajzadeh stressed that Khamenei's directives do not relieve other branches of government—such as the judiciary or the parliament—from their responsibilities to uphold citizens' rights.

"If this failed plan continues, the primary responsibility for its devastating consequences falls on Khamenei, who revived the morality police," Tajzadeh wrote.

Tajzadeh argued that the regime, lacking a clear strategy for addressing rampant inflation and other deep-seated economic issues, resorted to oppressive measures to suppress public dissent.

"Inflation, corruption, and oppression are turning Iran and its cities into a ticking time bomb," Tajzadeh concluded, questioning whether the leadership understands the explosive potential of its own policies.