Change in Government Will Not Affect Noor Plan Implementation
In a meeting of the Provincial Security Council in Qazvin, Deputy Commander of the State Security Force (SSF), Brigadier General Qassem Rezaei, emphasized that the Noor Plan is non-negotiable and will continue regardless of changes in government.
Noor Plan is the clerical regime’s latest scheme to enforce the mandatory Hijab on Iranian women and it started in April 2024.
Rezaei stated that the SSF is guided by the law and that addressing visible crimes is an inherent duty of the police. He highlighted the legal and religious obligations concerning chastity and hijab, noting that promoting virtue and preventing vice is a fundamental religious principle that cannot be suspended. (The state-run Mehr News Agency, July 24, 2024).
23,000 Hijab Patrols
Ahmad Vahidi, the regime’s Interior Minister, reported in the final session of the government’s thirteenth cabinet that 23,000 Hijab Patrols had been mobilized to positively enforce hijab regulations. (The state-run Khabar Online, July 24, 2024)
Vahidi referred to the nationwide uprising in 2022 as a “hybrid war,” acknowledging the extensive “enemy” designs. He claimed that despite these plans, security agencies successfully suppressed the uprising and prevented similar incidents in subsequent years.
The Noor Plan and the activation of 23,000 hijab patrols reflect the government’s extensive efforts to enforce mandatory hijab on Iranian women. The persistent implementation of the Noor Plan, irrespective of government changes, and the mobilization of hijab enforcers indicate that the new president neither intends nor is able to make any changes regarding the status of women in Iran and their right to freedom of choice.