Iranian official calls for Zarif's arrest over Davos hijab comments

A senior Iranian official has demanded the immediate arrest of Mohammad Javad Zarif, strategic deputy to President Masoud Pezeshkian, over his remarks on the Islamic headscarf hijab made at the Davos Economic Forum.

“Anti-coup forces must arrest Zarif upon his return to the country and subject him to interrogation," the secretary of Tehran’s Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Council, Momeni-Nasab, wrote on X Thursday. "Otherwise, the country will soon face more complex and highly dangerous crises.”

The criticism arose after Zarif signaled a softer line on hijab enforcement in a CNN interview on the sidelines of the Davos Forum in Switzerland.

“The Islamic Republic has decided not to pressure women regarding the hijab,” Zarif said. “If you walk on the streets of Tehran, you will see some women without hijab. Although this is illegal, the government has chosen not to put women under pressure.”

Tehran’s Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Council is a governmental body tasked with enforcing Islamic behavioral codes, including mandatory hijab laws. It plays a significant role in shaping and implementing the Islamic Republic’s social policies.

In November 2024, the council announced plans to establish a "hijab clinic" aimed at providing "scientific and psychological treatment" for women who defy compulsory hijab regulations.

In addition to Momeni-Nasab, Zarif’s remarks on the hijab issue sparked backlash on social media, with critics accusing him of misrepresenting the Islamic Republic's stance.

Many argue that the enforcement of the new and more restrictive hijab law has merely been suspended temporarily and it could be revived at any time.

Ultra-hardliners have doubled down on their criticism of Zarif’s remarks. They emphasize Supreme Leader Khamenei’s clear stance on the hijab, citing an April 2023 speech in which he declared that flouting the hijab was both "religiously and politically haram (forbidden)."