President Raisi says issue of hijab shouldn’t turn into security matter

At a meeting with university student activists on Saturday, President Raisi said his administration was seeking to resolve the issue over hijab with a “cultural” approach, “because the enemy, through planning, intends to turn that into a matter of security and the administration, through planning [of its own], will definitely not allow what the enemies want to materialize.”

He answered more questions about his administration’s policies, including on the relationship with universities, his campaign promises of building four million housing units each year, and other economic matters, defending his record.

For several months, Iran was rocked by protests over the death in “morality police” custody of a 22-year-old woman, who had been arrested for not wearing her hijab properly. When she died in custody, protests erupted across the country. Hundreds were killed on both sides.

Some women have since been refusing to cover their hair as required by the Islamic Republic dress code.

Answering a question about the blocking of access to certain social media sites and messaging applications, he said the administration would allow any platform “that would be willing to be held accountable” by opening offices inside Iran to operate.