Pezeshkian hits out at hijab law after hardliners hamstring agenda

President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday he cannot implement a law that Iranians oppose, after hardliners largely thwarted his agenda by pushing out top aides and rejecting his overtures to Washington.

The remarks, quoted by the head of his office in a post on X, were the strongest yet against a dormant law to tighten Islamic morality restrictions on women.

"I cannot enforce the chastity and hijab law because it creates problems for people and I will not stand against the people," Pezeshkian said.

The soft-spoken, relatively moderate president had seldom spoken so directly against a key plank of rival hardliners' domestic agenda.

Tehran postponed implementing the controversial hijab law in December following a backlash from the public and the international community.

It was due to impose harsh penalties on women and girls who defy veiling requirements, including fines, prison terms, flogging and even the death penalty.

Last week, Pezeshkian's Economy Minister Abdolnaser Hemmati was impeached by Parliament while Vice President for Strategic Affairs Javad Zarif resigned under pressure.

The moves follow a decisive rejection by hardliners, led by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, of talks with the US the president hope could ease pressure on Iran's moribund economy - a key challenge to his administration.

Popular opposition to hijab enforcement exploded in September 2022 when a young woman named Mahsa Jina Amini died in morality police custody, sparking nationwide protests dubbed the Woman Life Freedom movement.

The unrest was quashed with deadly force and opposition to the theocracy festered, but hardliners still drafted the new hijab law in May 2023.