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Raisi Says Hijab Is the Law in Iran as Unveiled Women Face ‘Yogurt Attack’

A screen grab of a handout video obtained from social media shows what appears to be a man throwing yogurt at two unveiled women in a shop near Mashhad, Iran. (Handout via WANA/via Reuters)
A screen grab of a handout video obtained from social media shows what appears to be a man throwing yogurt at two unveiled women in a shop near Mashhad, Iran. (Handout via WANA/via Reuters)
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Raisi Says Hijab Is the Law in Iran as Unveiled Women Face ‘Yogurt Attack’

A screen grab of a handout video obtained from social media shows what appears to be a man throwing yogurt at two unveiled women in a shop near Mashhad, Iran. (Handout via WANA/via Reuters)
A screen grab of a handout video obtained from social media shows what appears to be a man throwing yogurt at two unveiled women in a shop near Mashhad, Iran. (Handout via WANA/via Reuters)

President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that the hijab was the law in Iran after a viral video showed a man throwing yogurt at two unveiled women in a shop near the northeastern city of Mashhad.

Growing numbers of women have defied authorities by discarding their veils after nationwide protests that followed the death in September of a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman in the custody of the morality police for allegedly violating hijab rules. Security forces violently put down the revolt.

Judicial authorities in a town near Mashhad issued arrest warrants for the man seen pouring yogurt over the heads of the two women, a mother and her daughter. They were also the subject of arrest warrants for flouting Iran's strict female dress rules, state media reported.

Risking arrest for defying the obligatory dress code, women are still widely seen unveiled in malls, restaurants, shops and streets around the country. Videos of unveiled women resisting the morality police have flooded social media.

In live remarks on state television, Raisi said: "If some people say they don't believe (in the hijab)... it's good to use persuasion ... But the important point is that there is a legal requirement ... and the hijab is today a legal matter."

Authorities said the owner of the dairy shop, who confronted the attacker, had been warned. Reports on social media showed his shop had been shut, although he was quoted by a local news agency as saying he had been allowed to reopen and was due to "give explanations" to a court.

Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei earlier threatened to prosecute "without mercy" women who appear in public unveiled, Iranian media reported.

"Unveiling is tantamount to enmity of (our) values," Ejei was quoted as saying by several news sites.

Under Iran's religious law, imposed after the 1979 revolution, women are obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes to disguise their figures. Violators have faced public rebuke, fines or arrest.

Describing the veil as "one of the civilizational foundations of the Iranian nation" and "one of the practical principles of the republic," an Interior Ministry statement on Thursday said there would be no "retreat or tolerance" on the issue.

It urged citizens to confront unveiled women. Such directives have in past decades emboldened hardliners to attack women without impunity.

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Erdogan Warns Black Sea Should Not Be 'Area of Confrontation' after Strikes

Turkish President Recep Erdogan addresses the media after the conclusion on the G20 Summit held at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 November 2025. EPA/HALDEN KROG
Turkish President Recep Erdogan addresses the media after the conclusion on the G20 Summit held at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 November 2025. EPA/HALDEN KROG
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Erdogan Warns Black Sea Should Not Be 'Area of Confrontation' after Strikes

Turkish President Recep Erdogan addresses the media after the conclusion on the G20 Summit held at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 November 2025. EPA/HALDEN KROG
Turkish President Recep Erdogan addresses the media after the conclusion on the G20 Summit held at the Nasrec Expo Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 November 2025. EPA/HALDEN KROG

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned that the Black Sea should not turn into an "area of confrontation" between Russia and Ukraine, after several strikes in recent weeks.

"The Black Sea should not be seen as an area of confrontation. This would not benefit Russia or Ukraine. Everyone needs safe navigation in the Black Sea," he was quoted as telling reporters aboard his plane, according to the official Anadolu news agency.

World

Indonesia Flood Death Toll Passes 1,000

The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra. (AFP)
The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra. (AFP)
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Indonesia Flood Death Toll Passes 1,000

The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra. (AFP)
The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra. (AFP)

Devastating floods and landslides have killed 1,003 people in Indonesia, rescuers said Saturday as the Southeast Asian nation grapples with relief efforts.

The disaster, which has hit the northwestern island of Sumatra over the past fortnight, has also injured more than 5,400, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said in its latest toll.

The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra, where a tsunami wreaked havoc in 2004 in Aceh province, which lies at the northern tip of the island.

The final toll is expected to rise, with the disaster agency reporting 218 people are still missing.

With vast tracts of territory hit, 1.2 million residents have been forced to take refuge in temporary shelters.

Frustration has grown among flood victims, who have complained about the pace of relief efforts.

President Prabowo Subianto said Saturday the situation has improved, with several areas which had been cut off now accessible.

"Here and there, due to natural and physical conditions, there have been slight delays, but I checked all the evacuation sites: their conditions are good, services for them are adequate, and food supplies are sufficient," Prabowo said after visiting Langkat in North Sumatra province.

Costs to rebuild after the disaster could reach 51.82 trillion rupiah ($3.1 billion) and the Indonesian government has so far shrugged off suggestions that it call for international assistance.

World

Moscow, Tehran ‘Working Closely’ on Nuclear Program

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Peace Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (Tasnim). 
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Peace Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (Tasnim). 
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Moscow, Tehran ‘Working Closely’ on Nuclear Program

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Peace Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (Tasnim). 
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Peace Summit in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Friday (Tasnim). 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that relations between Moscow and Tehran are “developing very positively,” stressing that the two countries are working in close coordination at the United Nations on Iran’s nuclear program.

He made the remarks during talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the International Peace and Trust Summit in Ashgabat.

According to Russian media, Putin said Russia is cooperating with Iran at the Bushehr nuclear power plant and on major infrastructure projects, including the North–South Transport Corridor.

He added that the two sides are also exploring cooperation in the gas and electricity sectors.

Pezeshkian, quoted by Iranian and Russian media, reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to implementing the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Moscow.

He said Iran is “determined to activate the agreement” and expects Russia to accelerate implementation of joint understandings, particularly in energy, transport and strategic transit corridors.

The Iranian president said Iran would complete its share of the groundwork for the North–South Corridor by the end of the year, noting growing economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

He also called for strengthening multilateral partnerships within frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS to counter what he described as “unilateralism.”

Russia and Iran aim to expand economic ties through projects such as the International North–South Transport Corridor, a multimodal route linking northern and southern Asia via sea, rail and road networks.

The corridor is intended to speed up cargo transport between Russia and India through Iran and other countries while reducing costs compared with traditional routes. The project is seen as part of Moscow’s efforts to deepen trade links with Central Asia and Europe and to lessen reliance on longer maritime routes.

Putin said bilateral trade between Russia and Iran increased by 13 percent last year and by 8 percent in the first nine months of the current year, underscoring continued cooperation in energy and infrastructure. He added that coordination between Moscow and Tehran on international issues remains “close and ongoing.”

On the sidelines of the summit, Pezeshkian also met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with both sides agreeing on the need to accelerate implementation of bilateral agreements and enhance cooperation in transport, transit, energy and border infrastructure, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency.