Iran state media chief summoned over photos of unveiled woman

In this now-deleted IRNA photo, Iranian writer Sara Kanani is pictured looking at Ahu, the baby she fostered for 40 days.

The head of Iran's official state news agency has been summoned to court after the outlet published photographs of a Tehran woman without a mandatory headscarf.

The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) published a photo-documentary on its website showcasing the story of Sara Kanani, a 37-year-old single woman who took in an abandoned baby under a temporary foster scheme.

However, several images captured Kanani inside her home without a hijab, drawing swift condemnation from hardline social media accounts and leading to the immediate removal of the photos.

On 20 May, Iran's judiciary announced that the director general of IRNA had been summoned to the Press and Media Court to explain the publication of images of a woman "not observing Islamic laws and regulations".

The photo essay, titled "40 Days of Maternal Love", had initially been promoted by IRNA as a positive portrayal of Iran's social welfare systems and "family-oriented culture".

Kanani had cared for the newborn baby girl, whom she named Ahu, under the temporary care programme of the state Behzisti Welfare Organisation. She was ultimately forced to return the child after being informed that single women are not prioritised for permanent adoption.

The photographer, Marzieh Mousavi, protested against the state's reaction on social media, arguing that the focus on the headscarf obscured the emotional reality of her work.

"It seems that in the heat of all these disputes, the very essence of what is happening has been lost," Mousavi wrote on Instagram. "This project is not about how a woman is dressed... It is about motherhood, about care, and about giving your heart to a baby who has no one."

Critics of the Iranian government have pointed to an apparent double standard in how the strict dress codes are enforced. State media and pro-government platforms frequently share images of unveiled women when they are participating in state-sponsored rallies or elections.

Journalistic observers noted that while unveiled women are tolerated by authorities when they serve a state political purpose, ordinary citizens face prosecution for displaying similar behaviour in private domestic settings.

Although the hijab remains legally mandatory in Iran, enforcement has fluctuated since the widespread "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests of 2022, with an increasing number of women publicly defying the law.