In the third televised debate on June 21, Iranian presidential candidates unanimously backed mandatory hijab, amid heightened challenges facing the Islamic Republic about the enforcement of Islamic dress code.

Snap presidential elections are due to take place in Iran on June 28, after the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19 close to the border of Azerbaijan.

The six candidates have been increasingly openly critical of each other over the past fortnight and have held three rounds of debate in which they are now personally attacking each other’s handling of the country's situation.

The third debate was on the subject of culture, and it centred primarily on women's rights, hijab, and internet freedom, some of the major concerns of the Iranian nation.

The Islamic Republic has enforced compulsory Islamic hijab since 1981, a requirement that has been opposed by a growing population of women in the country over the past few decades, with younger women increasingly opting to bend and ignore the rules.

Opposition to the archaic law intensified in 2022, after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in the custody of police over her hijab, sparking nationwide protests that lasted for months. Dubbed the “Mahsa Amini” protests, more than 500 people died, including 68 children.

The crackdown failed, with so-called morality police pulled off the streets for several months as authorities attempted to calm the society. The government has stood firm, however, and has quietly resumed its strict enforcement of Islamic dressing, including through police and legal action.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made clear earlier this year that hijab is both a legal and religious requirement and should be observed by all women.

The presidential candidates’ remarks indicated the absence of any intention within the Islamic Republic to make any compromise on the issue, even by more moderate groups. The candidates unanimously supported mandatory hijab but stressed the need to modify its means of enforcement.

Masoud Pezeshkian, the only representative of the Reformist faction said women who stand up to hijab should be treated mildly, without going all out saying that the rules should be changed.

He also said the root causes of this situation “have to be reviewed and tackled,” suggesting education in this regard at nurseries and schools, but he sounded less enthusiastic about the subject than the others with his campaign borrowing the phrase “For Iran” now being promoted by his running mate former foreign minister Javad Zarif.

According to Pezeshkian, “people’s behaviour cannot be changed by force and by law.”

“Just as in the past they could not forcibly remove the hijab from women's heads, now they cannot forcefully put the hijab on their heads,” he said, referring to a law during a period of the rule of the Pahlavi dynasty that banned wearing scarves.

He also said that police action, fining and legal punishment should be abandoned.

Cleric Mustafa Pour-Mohammadi said he would repeal a bill proposed by the Raisi administration, known as “hijab and chastity law”, which outlines strict measures to enforce the law. The cleric said he would then meet with experts and women to find ways to address this problem.

Qalibaf supported the bill, saying it contains persuasive rather than forceful measures, and the current and previous parliament speakers have had a hand in its creation over the past year. 

He said improper clothing is definitely "a bane of Iranian families and society" and should not prevail, but it should not be enforced by "disrespect, tension and violence".

Saeed Jalili, an Islamist far-righter and closer to the extreme wings of the Islamic Republic’s structures, attributed Iranian women’s opposition to the law to Western “enemies”, saying they have targeted women as it is the Islamic Republic’s strength.

He said hijab is a means of facilitating women’s presence in society and “protects the family.”

The candidates also took a moderate stance about internet restrictions, saying they are against censorship and a ban on access.

Most globally popular social media platforms, including Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, X and YouTube, and application stores such as Google Play, are blocked for Iranian users.

The restrictions have given rise to a profitable VPN black market, often provided by family members of senior officials in some cases. The candidates made appealing promises about internet freedom, but viewers have become increasingly disheartened.