Several employees at subsidiaries of Bank Pasargad, one of Iran's largest private banks, have been fired or barred from their workplaces amid tighter enforcement of the country's mandatory hijab laws, people familiar with the matter told Iran International.
Bank Pasargad CEO Majid Ghasemi dismissed six employees during an unannounced visit to one of the bank's subsidiaries on October 27 over their clothing, sources told Iran International.
During another visit the following day, several female employees were dismissed for wearing jackets and skirts, casual clothing or trainers, while a male employee was fired for wearing jeans, according to one of the sources.
Another person working at a company under Fanap Holding, a technology group linked to Bank Pasargad, said a company executive was forced to resign after refusing instructions to impose stricter dress code restrictions.
Employees at several companies, including Fanap, Fanap Infrastructure, Fanap Telecom, Dotin and Pasargad Electronic Payment, received notices warning that entry to workplaces from October 31 would be conditional on compliance with new clothing requirements.
The notices banned women from wearing headscarves, short or open-front manteaus, women's trouser suits and T-shirts. Some employees were subsequently denied entry over their clothing, the sources said.
One source said two or three colleagues were among those dismissed but were reluctant to speak publicly for fear of losing their severance payments and final employment settlements.
The reported dismissals come amid renewed pressure on Iranian businesses to enforce compulsory hijab rules, which require women to cover their hair and observe Islamic dress standards in public.
On October 30, Tehran Prosecutor Ali Salehi warned that managers of government agencies could face legal action for failing to enforce hijab regulations, according to the judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency. He also called for increased monitoring of businesses, clothing retailers and public venues.
Iranian authorities have increasingly targeted businesses over alleged dress code violations. In August, Iran International documented at least 42 closures of cafes, restaurants, shops, sports clubs and other establishments across 17 cities in just three weeks.
More recently, Tehran prosecutors opened a case against organizers of the Tehran Art Fair over alleged violations of the country’s hijab laws, while the event's ticketing website and social media account were blocked.
Iran's compulsory hijab requirements have remained a point of contention since the 2022 protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody, with growing numbers of women appearing in public without headscarves despite the threat of penalties.
Three young men sentenced to death in connection with Iran's January protests face imminent execution after their families were summoned for final visits on Monday, according to human rights activists.
The Norway-based organization Iran Human Rights said the families of Amirhossein Maleki and Abolfazl Ebrahimi had been summoned to Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, warning that the two could be executed within hours or days.
Exiled political activist Ebrahim Allahbakhshi separately reported that Amirhossein Ebrahimi Analoujeh had also met his family for a final visit. Citing sources familiar with the cases, he said all three men had completed their final visits and were scheduled to be executed on Tuesday.
Iran Human Rights said the death sentences followed proceedings marked by torture, forced confessions and gross violations of due process.
The men are among 12 defendants sentenced to death in the Alikhani Square case. The case stems from protests in Isfahan on January 8, during which Iranian authorities accused defendants of involvement in the deaths of four security personnel, weapons offenses, destruction of property and arson.
Shahrzad Shahbazi, a lawyer representing defendants in the case, has disputed the official account, saying none had formally been charged with murder and the alleged killings had not been tried.
Seven defendants in the case, including two Afghan nationals, have been executed since July 19, Iran Human Rights said. Among them were Alireza Raisi and Alireza Sepahi, who were put to death on October 5.
The group said the Supreme Court had also rejected appeals by Analoujeh and two other defendants facing execution, Shervin Bagherian and Ali Dashti. It identified Bagherian as 17 at the time of his arrest and said lawyers defending the accused had themselves faced prosecution or imprisonment.
Torture allegations and unfair trials
UN Special Rapporteur Mai Sato highlighted the case during an October 28 address to the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee as an example of Iran’s mass trials of protesters.
Sato said 12 defendants had been sentenced to death and seven already executed. She warned that the proceedings failed to establish individual criminal responsibility, rendering the resulting death sentences arbitrary.
Amnesty International previously identified all three men among defendants facing execution, warning in July that they had been sentenced to death following a grossly unfair mass trial.
The organization documented allegations that Bagherian was forcibly disappeared for 21 days, beaten and denied access to a lawyer during the investigation. His forced confession was broadcast on state television before his trial, Amnesty said.
In an October statement, Amnesty said Sepahi had been subjected to prolonged solitary confinement, beatings and electric shocks.
Erfan Nabian told Iran International that he was tortured and subjected to a mock execution while being interrogated about allegations linked to the case. The former political prisoner was held alongside several of its defendants.
Iran Human Rights urged governments maintaining diplomatic relations with Tehran to act immediately to halt the executions.
Iranian authorities have banned the display and sale of jewelry and coins bearing the Lion and Sun emblem or imagery associated with the country's former monarchy in the northeastern city of Mashhad, according to a notice issued by the city's gold traders' union.
The Mashhad Gold, Jewelry, Silver and Coin Dealers' Union said the order, issued on instructions from the police department responsible for supervising public establishments, covers bracelets, pendants, necklaces and commemorative coins featuring the symbols.
"Under instructions from the Department for Supervision of Public Establishments, the sale or display of any gold, silver or coins ... bearing images of the Pahlavi dynasty or the Lion and Sun is prohibited," the union said in a notice published on its Telegram channel.
It warned that any violations would be dealt with in accordance with regulations, without specifying the penalties.
Mashhad is home to the shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth Shiite imam, and is the hometown of Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and his slain father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei.
The semi-official Mehr news agency and local media also reported the restriction, saying traders had been instructed to review their inventories and shop displays to comply with the order.
The ban comes amid signs of growing demand for jewelry, decorative artwork and other products featuring the Lion and Sun and Pahlavi-era symbols, according to accounts received by Iran International from cities across Iran and observations of social media posts.
The Lion and Sun, a centuries-old Iranian emblem that appeared on the country's national flag before the 1979 revolution, has become a prominent symbol of opposition to the Islamic Republic's theocratic rule.
Restrictions on historical and royal symbols
The Islamic Republic removed the Lion and Sun from Iran's flag and official insignia following the 1979 revolution that overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic's founding leader, denounced the Lion and Sun as a symbol of the former monarchy and called for its removal from government ministries and offices.
"The accursed Lion and Sun emblem should be removed from all ministries and offices," Khomeini said in a March 1979 speech in Qom, according to the official collection of his speeches. He also called for the removal of symbols associated with the former monarchy and their replacement with Islamic emblems.
In the decades since, the authorities have sought to promote an interpretation of Iranian history aligned with the Islamic Republic's ideology, while artists and intellectuals advocating secular and pre-Islamic aspects of the country's heritage have faced pressure and restrictions.
The restrictions have also extended to historical sites associated with Iran's pre-Islamic past, including the tomb of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the ancient Persian Achaemenid Empire who ruled in the sixth century BC.
On October 29, a date observed by many Iranians as Cyrus the Great Day, citizens reported security checkpoints and road closures blocking access to Pasargadae, the site of the ancient Persian king's tomb in southern Iran.
Iran International has previously documented similar restrictions in past years, when authorities prevented people from gathering at the tomb to commemorate Cyrus.
Protesters targeted over tattoos
The restrictions on jewelry come amid growing popularity of national and monarchist symbols, which have also become expressions of resistance through tattoos worn by Iranian protesters.
A September investigation by Iran International documented cases of security forces allegedly torturing and killing protesters bearing tattoos of the Lion and Sun, the Pahlavi crown and other symbols associated with Iran's national identity during January's nationwide crackdown.
Among those documented was Farid Ramezani, 29, who was shot by security forces in Tehran on January 8. An informed source said officers fired at a finger bearing a Pahlavi crown tattoo after he fell to the ground.
In another case, sources close to the family of Amirhossein Nobakht Pardasti, 21, said security forces cut into the tattooed area of his arm after he was wounded and detained during protests on January 8. When his family received his body, they said the skin bearing tattoos of Reza Shah and the imperial crown had been mutilated.
The investigation, based on accounts from protesters, tattoo artists, former political prisoners and relatives of those killed, documented how tattoos had become expressions of grief, identity and resistance, even as those bearing them faced violence and punishment.
Students across Iran have described tighter surveillance, restrictions on gatherings and pressure to participate in military and ideological activities, with some facing threats of expulsion or police referral, according to accounts received by Iran International.
The messages from schools in several cities describe compulsory displays of images of Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, increased classroom monitoring, enforcement of mandatory hijab rules and the presence of Basij forces.
Students at a school in Dezful were ordered to pose for photographs with two banners depicting Ali Khamenei, Iran's slain former ruler, and warned they could be expelled or referred to police if they refused, a student told Iran International.
In Marvdasht, education department officials visited a school on November 1 to inspect compliance with mandatory hijab rules, according to another student.
Students who failed to observe the dress code would be expelled, the school's principal warned, the student said.
A student in Tehran also described compulsory Quran recitations, saying school authorities had warned that those who refused would receive failing grades in core subjects.
Other accounts described the presence of Basij forces and plans for military exercises on school grounds.
Students at a school in Alborz province were informed that a missile launcher would be brought into the schoolyard and armed forces personnel would conduct a military drill, one student said.
In Lorestan province, students at a school for gifted children were taken to apro-establishment rally on October 28 without their parents being informed in advance, according to a family.
Iran International earlier reported that students in six provinces had faced pressure to participate in Jan-Fada (Self-Sacrifice), a system-backed initiative involving military training and mobilization activities. Some students were warned of expulsion or consequences for their parents if they refused to take part.
Basij members visiting another school instructed students to stay out of politics, according to a student who described the exchange.
"How can we stay out of politics when we have lost more than 40,000 brothers and sisters?" the student said in response.
Another citizen described seeing a group of students on the streets wearing camouflage uniforms and military-style scarves and carrying batons.
Military equipment and activities in schools have featured in earlier accounts received by Iran International.
Based on earlier reports, students at some schools had been given identification tags or instructed to obtain and wear them.
Other accounts described armed personnel and military vehicles entering schools and children receiving weapons training.
The Education Ministry's spokesperson denied reports of military identification tags being issued to students on October 23, saying school principals were not permitted to announce measures that could cause concern among families.
Surveillance cameras in classrooms at a public high school in Tehran's District 19 doubled on October 28, according to a student.
Previously, a single camera had been installed at the front of each classroom facing students. Another camera has since been added behind them, the student said.
In Gonbad-e Kavus, northern Iran, school officials prohibited students from gathering in groups of more than two, according to another account.
The restrictions follow similar measures documented in an earlier report, when students from several cities described classroom cameras, audio recording, searches of personal belongings and clothing inspections.
Another student described armed officers accompanying a school excursion to a park and repeatedly instructing high school girls to comply with hijab requirements and wear their headscarves properly.
A University of Tehran doctoral student reportedly attempted self-immolation outside a university building after repeated disciplinary summonses and security pressure, the student-run Tehran-Daneshjoo channel said Sunday.
The channel identified him as Shahin Shokouhi, a sociology PhD candidate, and said the incident occurred around midday outside the Foolad building on 16 Azar Street. He was taken for medical treatment, but his condition remained unknown.
The account said Shokouhi had been repeatedly summoned before university disciplinary authorities and pressured by security agencies outside the campus.
The channel said he continued to face questioning and security pressure despite his injuries, and expressed concern that he could be detained or face legal proceedings before completing treatment.
Shokouhi had previously been detained during protests at the university on December 30, 2025. According to Scholars at Risk, he and four other students arrested that day were all released later the same day.
A growing record of pressure on students
The Foolad building had already appeared in student accounts of security pressure. In October, Tehran-Daneshjoo reported increased summonses to university security offices there, on 16 Azar Street.
Some students described threats and humiliation during questioning. The channel said Intelligence Ministry personnel attended certain meetings and confronted students with information about their private lives.
The pressure extends beyond summonses. In May, University of Tehran polymer engineering student Amir Mohammad Karimi received a two-semester suspension after a disciplinary hearing conducted in his absence while he was detained, according to Scholars at Risk.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran reported that seven students at Sharif University of Technology faced preliminary expulsion orders in June over social media activity and cases linked to the nation-wide January protests. Three students at Tehran's Khajeh Nasir University of Technology had two-semester suspensions upheld in July.
In February, Tehran-Daneshjoo, citing the newspaper Shargh, reported that at least 180 students at universities in Tehran had received disciplinary summonses by text message, while more than 60 others had been barred from campus through telephone notifications.
An April gathering in Mashhad offers another example. Security agents detained students who had met with a former teacher, according to the Middle East Studies Association. Four faced national security charges, including University of Tehran literature student Mohammad Parsa Golchin.
An earlier tragedy in Ahvaz
In November 2025, Ahmad Baledi, a 20-year-old in Ahvaz, died after setting himself on fire during a confrontation over the demolition of his family's food kiosk. President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered an investigation, and local officials faced disciplinary and legal action.
His death recalled the Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi whose self-immolation in December 2010 preceded mass demonstrations that forced President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from power.
Shokouhi’s condition remained unknown as of Sunday. Tehran-Daneshjoo said it had received no update from university authorities.
Iranian authorities have seized assets of a private Tehran art and design school’s founder and begun confiscation proceedings, an IRGC-affiliated outlet reported, alleging he had insulted Shiite Muslims and spread anti-Islamic Republic propaganda on social media.
The report by Fars News concerned Alireza Ordoubadi, founder of Inverse School, and posts on his personal accounts.
It came a day after the school said authorities had frozen all its bank accounts and payment systems, blocked its website and seized its property, forcing it to suspend registration and sales of new courses.
Students who had already purchased courses would retain access to educational materials and support services, the school said.
Ordoubadi said the institution had never engaged in political activities and was being targeted because of his personal views, with the measures affecting its employees, instructors and students.
"The people of Iran have the right to think freely, make choices, protest and decide their own future. I will not ask anyone's permission to say this," he wrote in a statement published on the school's Instagram account.
"Their issue is with me, and they're making the school and its people pay the price," he wrote.
Founded in 2008, Inverse provides training in graphic design, animation, fashion, programming and other creative and digital skills. Ordoubadi said more than 70,000 people had studied at the institution over its 18 years of operation.
He said the school had lost students aboard Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 in January 2020, seen others imprisoned during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests, and lost two more students, whom he identified only by their first names, Amirali and Sima, during the latest nationwide protests.
"If the price I must pay for standing alongside these people is losing these 18 years, then I am willing to sacrifice those 18 years for Iran," he wrote.
Paying tribute to protesters killed during successive waves of anti-government demonstrations in Iran, from the 2009 and 2022 uprisings to the latest nationwide protests in December 2025 and January 2026, he added:
"This country belongs to Neda Agha-Soltan, Nika and Sarina, Hamidreza Rouhi, Majidreza Rahnavard, Sadra Soltani, Sepehr Shokri, Hamid Mahdavi and thousands of honourable people who gave their lives for its freedom. It belongs to their families and all those who continue to live with so much grief and deserve a future. My place is alongside these people."
"Seizure is your decision, and continuing is ours. And we will continue," he wrote.
The action comes amid a series of asset seizures involving Iranian public figures and supporters of anti-government protests.
On Tuesday, the lawyer for award-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi said his client had been sentenced in absentia to five years and one month in prison and ordered to forfeit all his assets.
Earlier, authorities in the city of Qom announced the seizure of property and cryptocurrencies belonging to businessman Sadegh Saedinia, who supported nationwide anti-government protests in January.
