By Omar | 2025-03-28

The Islamic Republic has turned to drones and a citizen reporting application called "Nazer" to enforce its headscarf mandate, according to a United Nations (UN) report released March 14.

The mobile application, accessed through an Iranian police website, enables vetted individuals and police to submit license plate numbers, locations and timestamps when a woman is seen in a private vehicle without a headscarf.

In September, authorities expanded the Nazer app to monitor women in ambulances, taxis and on public transport, the report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran found.

The system flags the vehicle, notifies police and triggers real-time text messages warning registered vehicle owners of violations, with repeated infractions resulting in vehicle impoundment.

Last April, authorities deployed aerial drones across Tehran and the south to monitor compliance with the regime's headscarf mandate in public spaces.

Facial recognition software was installed at university entrances, including Tehran's Amirkabir University, to track the compliance of female students.

The regime also implemented the "Noor" plan, which deployed police officers nationwide to "confront women and girls" promoting what authorities call "social anomalies by appearing without the headscarf," the UN report said.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) then established "ambassadors of kindness" to monitor compliance in markets, parks and other public spaces.

At least 618 women were arrested in 2024 under the "Noor" plan alone, the report said.

'State-sponsored vigilantism'

The expanding surveillance follows the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in police custody after her arrest for alleged improper headscarf wear.

Unprecedented nationwide protests over the 22-year-old's death sparked the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement.

In response, the regime has increasingly turned to "state-sponsored vigilantism," enlisting businesses and private citizens in headscarf enforcement by portraying it as a civic responsibility, the UN report said.

"Every step outside my home is filled with fear," Tehran resident Sharareh told Pishtaz, giving only her first name for fear of repercussions.

"All streets and public places feel under surveillance," she said. "Even without visible officers, I sense cameras and drones watching from above."

"This fear never leaves me."

"While other governments use technology to improve lives, the regime has turned it into a tool of oppression and violence against women," Mashhad resident Aida, who also withheld her full name, told Pishtaz.

"It ties its survival to controlling women's hair, but no pressure or restrictions will stop our fight for justice," said Mashhad resident Nilab.

"The Islamic Republic tried to confine women behind the walls of their homes, but they've broken through and reclaimed the streets," Nilab told Pishtaz. "They think arrests, torture and executions will silence us, but they're mistaken."