In a fiery speech, the representative of Ali Khamenei in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that “compromise against improper hijab hurts the public rights” and declared: “Today, compassion for improper hijab and moral decay is unacceptable. The authorities should not allow the enemy to use a few minorities as a tool or a weapon, same as the cyberspace where our children are slaughtered (metaphorically)."

Abdollah Haji Sadeghi, the representative of the leader of the Islamic Republic in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday: “When some people use improper (lack of) hijab as a tool to spread corruption and to fight against the revolution in order to take away the safety of our youth and promote indifference through girls wearing makeup instead of promoting the spirit of sacrifice and Basiji culture, that is when the regime must intervene.”

Haji Sadeghi also mentioned what he called “the plans of the global imperialism for women’s attire,” and said: “The enemy wants to weaken the revolution’s power cores. The enemy knows that it is the women who guide the revolution and move it forward, therefore they want to turn women into their puppets and tools for their imperialist ploys. Today, the issues of decency and hijab are not personal issues, but they are our battlefield with imperialism. Today, two cultures and two discourses have faced each other. One has an objectifying view of women and wants to use women in its service.”

He also claimed “feminism and support for equal rights are propaganda tools for the west."

The issue of hijab was considered a police matter after the establishment of the Islamic Republic, However, in recent years, it has become a more national security matter. Earlier this month, video of a young woman being assaulted and dragged by several police officers caused an uproar on social media. The IRGC media, however, called for a harsher reaction from the police and even involvement of security forces.