Iran opens criminal case against Tehran run organisers

Iranian authorities have opened a criminal case against the organisers of a run in Tehran over alleged religious and legal violations, the judiciary said, after images emerged showing women competing without hijab.

The 10-kilometre (six-mile) run took place on Friday, on the same day as a military parade held as part of a mobilisation campaign dubbed "Sacrifice for the Fatherland".

The judiciary's Mizan Online platform said on Saturday that after the run "during which legal and religious requirements were not observed, the Tehran Prosecutor's Office intervened and put the necessary legal measures in place".

"A criminal complaint was filed against those involved in organising and running the event, and a judicial case was opened," it added.

Images shared on the "Tehrun" event's Instagram account showed women running together, some without head coverings. Women in Iran are required to cover their hair and wear modest, loose-fitting clothing in public.

Last year, Iranian authorities arrested two organisers of a run on Kish Island after women were also seen competing without hijab.

Adherence to the hijab rules has become more sporadic since the 2022 protests that followed the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman arrested over an alleged dress-code breach.

This has accelerated particularly since the war in February, with women wearing outfits that would have been unthinkable in the Islamic Republic just a few months ago.

Veiled and unveiled women walking together in the street are now the norm in most major Iranian cities.

The latest case comes as the conflict between Iran and the US has deadlocked after months of a war that has worsened Iranians' economic hardship.