Cafe owners describe a renewed campaign against businesses associated with a different urban lifestyle.
Cafes forced to close in recent days included some on Tehran’s central streets. Some had previously been fired over allegations that they had failed to enforce Iran’s mandatory hijab rules.
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The raid on Tehran’s cafes was a sign of contempt
The latest wave followed public appeals from Friday prayer leaders for tougher measures.
“The situation regarding hijab in society is unacceptable,” Mohammad Reza Naseri, the Friday prayer imam of Yazd, said on July 17, calling on officials and cultural institutions to confront what he called “corruption and indecency.”
In the northern city of Rasht, Friday prayer imam Rasoul Falahati praised the pro-government nightly gatherings and argued that combating what he called “organized revelations” should also include public participation. Falahati called on the government and parliament to fully implement Iran’s hijab law.
Days later, cafe owners in central Tehran discovered their businesses were sealed.
“They saw us as the unusual ones”
The owner of a cafe on Tehran’s Sanaii Street that closed on July 20 told Iran International that unusual pressure had increased in recent weeks, and said organizers of late-night gatherings appeared to believe cafes like his were incompatible with the atmosphere they wanted to create.
According to the owner, in the days leading up to the funeral of Ali Khamenei, the assassinated leader of the Islamic Republic, two plainclothes men with radios and guns visited the cafe and described the business, its employees and customers as “an eyesore” and “foot soldiers of the enemy.”
“One of them said that our city is preparing for the leader’s funeral, but you are busy here with fun, music and corruption,” the owner recalled.
He said he warned employees that the closure was imminent.
A young woman who managed the dining area at another closed cafe on the same street said rumors of inspections had been circulating the day before, but the officers’ behavior still came as a shock.
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“The way they stormed in and behaved was so aggressive and disrespectful that everyone was stunned,” she said. “Some colleagues didn’t even have time to collect their personal belongings before the cafe closed.”
War images told a different story
The closures are in sharp contrast to the scenes seen just weeks before.
During the 40-Day War and its aftermath, women appeared openly at establishment nightly gatherings and at Ali Khamenei’s funeral without the hijab requirement. State media interviewed some of them and their pictures appeared in official reporting.
Women gather in a cafe in Tehran. Cafes have become important social gathering places for young Iranians, but several establishments in the capital have recently closed. (archive photo)
Religious singers also chose a significantly different tone.
“A woman with a loose hijab who came to the square is the light of our eyes and the daughter of our country,” a speaker said during a rally.
The images contrasted with years of rhetoric from parts of Iran’s political and religious establishment, which portrayed women who reject the mandatory hijab as an ideological challenge to the Islamic Republic.
The difference appeared to be due less to a change in official opinion on compulsory hijab than to changing political priorities. At a time when authorities sought to project national unity and broad public participation, women with different clothing styles became part of the official narrative. With the disappearance of this time, visible tolerance also disappeared.
The pattern extended beyond the dress.
State media also featured rappers performing songs in support of the system and Iran’s armed forces, although rap music has faced official restrictions and criticism for years.
The contrast illustrated a broader pattern. Different forms of dress, music or cultural expression seemed acceptable when reinforcing an official political message, but faced limitations once they existed outside of this framework.
The pressure is spreading beyond Tehran
The closures in central Tehran are part of a broader campaign affecting businesses across Iran.
On May 19, the historic Ameri House hotel complex in downtown Kashan was closed because authorities failed to comply with hijab rules.
On June 15, the Mizan news agency reported that prosecutors had ordered the closure of a Tehran cafe and opened a criminal case against its manager after images of an event that authorities said violated legal and religious standards were distributed online.
The campaign was expanded elsewhere.
On July 2, the Kohgiluyeh County Prosecutor’s Office announced the closure of ten cafes and teahouses in Dehdasht for alleged failure to respect religious standards.
Less than three weeks later, the Mohseni Mansion, a restored historic Qajar-era property that served as a hotel and restaurant in the southern city of Behbahan, was closed because some customers were hijab-optional and music was playing, according to authorities.
A customer smokes a cigarette in a cafe in central Tehran. (archive photo)
Authorities in Lorestan, Ardebil and Aran va Bidgol have also announced the closure of businesses over allegations of exposure, non-compliance with Islamic standards and moral violations.
Competing accounts
Officials and business owners offer different explanations for the closures.
The Tasnim news agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, dismissed suggestions that the cafes were targeted for moral enforcement. The stores were closed solely because of licensing and trading violations and the action had “no connection” to moral safety.
Cafe owners dispute this account.
The café culture in Iran is faltering as everyday life becomes shorter and shorter
They describe previous warnings, visits by plainclothes staff, checks on customers’ clothing and growing pressure on the atmosphere in their stores. Their account differs greatly from the official explanation and leaves unanswered questions about the main reason for the closures.
For many owners, the consequences go beyond politics. Many cafes were already struggling with economic stagnation, declining purchasing power, internet disruptions and a sharp decline in customers. The sudden closure leaves employees without wages, their rent unpaid and businesses facing taxes and debts despite being unable to operate.
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202607273364
