Amid ongoing protests against the country's ruling clerical regime, conflicting reports have emerged out of Iran that the country had abolished its "morality police," The New York Times reported Sunday.
The news was reportedly announced by Iran's attorney general, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, who said during a religious conference that the morality police "have been shut down from where they were set up," according to BBC News.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Iran's morality police were tasked with enforcing the nation's strict Islamic dress code, and their disbandment would represent a major victory for the protesters. It would also mark the first major concession given to the protesters by the ruling regime.
However, despite Montazeri's comments, the state-run Al-Alam television station pushed back on the claim that the morality police had been disbanded, CNN reported. "No official of the Islamic Republic of Iran has said that the Guidance Patrol has been shut," the station said, adding that Montazeri's judiciary was not directly related to the morality police and that the hijab law was under review.
Whether the disbandment of the morality police is true or not, the protesters do not appear to be letting up anytime soon. Mostly made up of college-age women, the protesters across the capital city of Tehran are urging merchants to participate in a three-day strike, Reuters reported.
Dec. 4, 2022: This article has been updated with new information regarding the morality police.
-
The 8 best dark comedies of the 21st centuryFrom Santa Claus to suicide terrorism, these movies skewered big, taboo subjects
-
France’s ‘red hands’ trial highlights alleged Russian disruption operationsUNDER THE RADAR Attacks on religious and cultural institutions around France have authorities worried about Moscow’s effort to sow chaos in one of Europe’s political centers
-
Codeword: October 30, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
No Kings rally: What did it achieve?Feature The latest ‘No Kings’ march has become the largest protest in U.S. history
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
‘The nonviolence resulted from the organizers’ message’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
