Iran’s domestic security apparatus is on high alert and taking a harder line on issues that authorities see as a threat to their control of the country during the war with the United States. Officials have warned the public that protesters against the government could face tough sentences, while tightening control over public spaces after months of looser rules on how people dress.
The moves come after eight months of war and amid fears of a new, wider wave of US attacks. Mahjoob Zweiri, director of the Gulf Studies Center at Qatar University, said the authorities have also been able to publicly mobilise supporters who back the continuity of the government in Tehran. He said these supporters include not only members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) but also some civilians, and that this is likely to continue until the war ends.
Executions and warnings after the January protests
Iranian authorities routinely use harsh punishments to deter dissent, and the war has accelerated this trend, according to the reporting. On Sunday, the judiciary said three young men arrested during nationwide protests in January had been executed. The judiciary said the men had allegedly attacked government offices and damaged public property near Tehran to benefit the US and Israel.
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The authorities describe the antigovernment protests as a “coup” attempt by “terrorists” linked to the US and Israel. An independent United Nations fact-finding mission, however, found that the authorities had committed crimes against humanity during a violent crackdown on protesters. Human rights groups said the crackdown killed thousands of people, mostly on the nights of January 8 and 9.
Foreign-based rights organisations said many political cases that end in executions are marred by allegations of torture, forced confessions and other violations of due process. The Norway-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said this year Iran’s government has executed at least 79 political or religious prisoners. Of these, 40 people were arrested during the January protests, and some were executed after espionage convictions.
Halloween gathering broken up in Tehran
On October 30, hundreds of mostly young Iranians, many from Generation Z, marked Halloween by wearing makeup or costumes and gathering in cafes on Iranshahr Street, an area known for its arts scene. Within hours, motorcyclists and plainclothes security personnel arrived to disperse the crowds and close the cafes. Assaults and detentions were reported, and people enjoying the evening in nearby Artists Park were reportedly ordered to leave.
The authorities did not officially comment on the incident. Since then, however, they have set up pro-government stations and booths on the same street, where supporters chant “revolutionary” slogans, praise the government and wave flags. Pro-government demonstrators have also blocked city squares and streets in Tehran since the war began.
Some of these supporters take part in the “self-sacrifice” Janfada campaign, receiving gun training and other support at these locations. They serve as part of the Basij, a domestic IRGC paramilitary force that has been used to crack down on antigovernment protests. Before Halloween, police had already criticised gatherings on Iranshahr, Sanai and other Tehran streets that have become popular with young people seeking space to express themselves. Those gatherings take place amid worsening living conditions linked to the war, an economic crisis and what critics describe as domestic mismanagement.
Tehran traffic police chief Teymour Hosseini said last month that the streets had “unfortunately turned into a place where people cruise and walk around”. He also suggested that the gatherings of young people were the reason police had shut down cafes and businesses in recent months.
Hijab rules and the debate over social controls
The government has enforced a dress code, especially for women, since shortly after the 1979 revolution. Since the nationwide Mahsa Amini protests of 2022-2023, however, many women have increasingly stopped wearing headscarves in public in Tehran and other cities, defying the law. In some cases, authorities have eased enforcement of rules on headscarves, alcohol, narcotics and other social issues. Political scientist Ali Alfoneh said this was partly intended to keep people busy with activities that might distract them from political activism.
Hossein Shariatmadari, a hardline media figure, wrote that loose hijabs were “one of the levers used by the enemy in the coming war” and must be taken seriously. Alfoneh, meanwhile, argued that the country’s leaders were no more repressive than other governments facing similar threats. He said that repression appears to be reserved for political freedom and antiregime uprisings.
Local media have given some limited attention to the crackdown, though from different angles. The reformist Shargh newspaper described the operation on the eve of Halloween as “A tense night in Iranshahr” and urged policymakers to study what people want. The Rouydad24 news website questioned whether treating young people’s cultural preferences as security problems was useful. The ultraconservative Keyhan newspaper argued that the Halloween celebrations showed “cultural alienation” that was weakening knowledge of traditions such as Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
Iranian authorities have also politicised domestic traditions over the years, including by restricting and shooting at Chaharshanbe Suri fire festival celebrations during the protests. Zweiri said whether Iran and the US reach a negotiated end to the war or face a more devastating conflict would help determine whether more nationwide protests take place. Some Iranians feel any protest could now be seen as siding with foreign powers. “Whether there is a deal or more war in the future will determine how Iran will be developing economically and politically and socially,” Zweiri said.
