Hijab enforcers are searching citizens' personal belongings at Tehran’s subway stations "under the pretext of warnings regarding hijab".

Jamaran News website reported that plainclothes officers present at metro stations have searched people’s backpacks and conducted "unauthorized filming of people with pocket and tripod cameras, checking their mobile phones without written permission, and taking pictures of their registry codes."

The website quoted one of the officers as saying that the measures came from the "orders of the Ministry of Interior, as well as the support of the Tehran Municipality".

It comes amidst growing crackdowns on hijab enforcement as the regime continues to lose the battle begun during last year's Women, Life, Freedom protests. There have been reports of Security Police (FARAJA) assisting hijab enforcers by using cameras to identify women without headscarves.

Outlets including Farhikhtegan have branded the moves a "breach of privacy". "Recording images of passersby violates people's right to privacy," the publication wrote in November.

Authorities did not present a clear stance on the issue as the Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi denied issuing any permits for the enforcers of the hijab and referred to them as "spontaneous groups," in early November.

On November 29, Ahmad Vahidi retracted his initial statement and defended the practice of government agents photographing citizens in public places, describing it as "natural." He responded to public outrage by comparing traffic control cameras, asserting that capturing images of those violating rules is a common and convenient practice.