The state has gathered security forces in the protest-torn region. Armored vehicles are also said to be stationed in the barracks.
In Tehran, eyewitnesses reported that the situation was tense due to concerns about riots. Many shops initially remained open there.
Iran’s head of state, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, met with the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution on Tuesday. The meeting with President Ebrahim Raisi, Speaker of the Parliament Bagher Ghalibaf and Chief Justice Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Ejehi would be about a possible decision on the future of the vice squad. According to experts, the headscarf obligation could be continued even if the infamous unit were abolished, for example by means of video surveillance.
Demonstrations against the country’s political leadership have been taking place in Iran for more than two months. Activists had this week called for protests and strikes from Monday to Wednesday. The aim is to paralyze the country’s economy. There were conflicting reports about how closely society followed the call. The state leadership is said to have warned bazaars about closures. Some stores reportedly remained open but did not serve customers.
The protests in mid-September were provoked by the death of Iranian Kurd Jina Mahsa Amini. She died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly violating Islamic dress codes. Human rights activists estimate that at least 470 protesters have since been killed and about 18,000 people arrested.
(SDA)