Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expressed support for the country’s enforcement of strict hijab laws. 

Speaking about the issues of women and hijab in televised remarks today, Khamenei said, “These issues were present at the beginning of the Islamic Revolution as well, and lately, with using hijab as an excuse, the failed attempt is being repeated.” He continued, “Some years ago I was asked, ‘On the issues of women, what defense do you have against the West?’ and I answered, ‘I don’t have a defense. I have an attack: Those who have turned women into a commodity must defend and give an answer.’”

One of the scenes that has become very familiar this summer in Iran is the country’s notorious Guidance Patrol officers harassing women who are deemed to be improperly covered. Videos of male police officers in uniform and female police officers in the all-black chador forcibly escorting young women into the white and green Guidance Patrol vans have gone viral. In a few instances, onlookers have come to the defense of women and attempted to dissuade police officers from arresting them. These scenes have been widely covered in Western media.

Speaking on the coverage of women’s issues and hijab in the Western press, particularly press funded by the US and British governments, Khamenei said, “The West would cut off water to Iran if they could. The West is the one sanctioning medicine to children. Now they are defenders are women?” While medicine is not technically sanctioned by the West, Iran is unable to conduct banking transactions due to sanctions in order to buy medicine and often needs to go through cumbersome and inefficient routes through third countries to secure medicine.