• Supreme leader: ‘The enemies’ goal is to spread doubt among the people and shake their faith’

Arab News

LONDON: Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has derided Iranian women protesting against wearing of the hijab as victims of a Western conspiracy orchestrated by the UK and US, The Times reported on Friday.

He said Britain and “especially” the US had deployed their media to “attack” the strict dress code imposed by authorities upon women in Iran.

“The enemies’ goal is to spread doubt among the people and shake their faith, which is the main factor in maintaining the country and the Islamic system,” Khamenei told imams.

The strict dress code imposed in the wake of the 1979 revolution has faced decades-long protests by women in Iran.

On July 12, the National Day of Hijab and Chastity, activists called on women to take off their hijab in a campaign of civil disobedience.