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The murder of 24-year-old Elahe Hosseinnejad gripped Iran, sparking grief and anger over gender violence, legal discrimination and the state’s failure to protect women.
Hosseinnejad, a nail technician from Eslamshahr, south of Tehran, vanished on May 25 after leaving work to care for her younger brother.
Her disappearance quickly drew attention after her family raised the alarm on social media, prompting thousands to share her photo in hopes of locating her.
Instagram posts by Hosseinnejad show a determined young woman supporting her family, expressing sympathy for executed protesters and backing the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.
On June 5, police arrested a man in his early 30s in connection with her death. Authorities said he operated an unlicensed taxi and had a criminal record.
Public reaction
The response was immediate. Messages of sorrow poured in from citizens, artists, and public figures.
“One murder victim and 90 million wounded,” many posted on social media.
Zahra Behrouz-Azar, vice president for women and family affairs, wrote on Telegram that the reaction sent a clear message: preventing violence against women is a national demand.
She cited “cultural and economic crises, weaknesses in preventive infrastructure, and gaps in legal and support systems” as causes.
State and police criticized
After her disappearance, many accused the authorities of systemic failure to protect citizens—especially women.
“How is it that thousands of agents and surveillance cameras are present across cities to harass Iranian women for improper veiling, but no measures (are taken) to ensure the safety of citizens, especially women?” activist and former political prisoner Hossein Ronaghi asked on X before Hosseinnejad’s body was found.
Hours after the arrest, police released two videos of the suspect’s interrogation and confession.
In the footage, he admits to trying to steal Hosseinnejad’s phone, stabbing her when she resisted and abandoning her body near Tehran’s airport. One video shows him on the floor during interrogation, recoiling after being slapped.
“The videos of the arrest and interrogation of Elaheh Hosseinnejad’s murderer are enough on their own to make me lose all hope in the improvement of security in this country,” digital rights activist and entrepreneur Nima Namdari posted on X.
“Justice will never be established in a country where the rights of the accused and the principles of fair trial are not respected. As long as there is no justice, there will be no security,” he added.
Legal inequality under scrutiny
The case has revived debate over Iran’s gender-based legal discrimination.
Murder is punishable by death, but if a man kills a woman, the victim’s family must first pay half the value of full blood money (diyeh)—set annually by judicial authorities—to the killer’s family before the execution can proceed.
This does not apply when both victim and perpetrator are male, reinforcing what activists call a system that devalues women’s lives.
“Why should the victim and their family bear the cost of the inequality in the law?” user @mynamefarshad posted on X.
Supporters of Sharia-based laws say the system allows flexibility. In high-profile cases, the state can pay the blood money itself to proceed with execution under Islamic jurisprudence.
Police released Hosseinnejad’s body to her family on Friday. Citizen reports say she was buried immediately, under strict security, without a public announcement in Eslamshahr.
People in Iran are often accused of contributing to the country’s economic woes through wasteful habits—not just by officials, but by one another. But how much truth is there to these claims?
People in Iran are often accused of contributing to the country’s economic woes through wasteful habits—not just by officials, but by one another. But how much truth is there to these claims?
One common claim is that Iranians use far more electricity than other nations. But data from Iran’s Energy Ministry shows that per capita household electricity consumption is about 1,100 kilowatt-hours per year—40% lower than the EU average, and well below usage in the US, Canada, Japan, or even many neighboring countries.
It’s the same story with food.
Iran’s agriculture minister recently criticized Iranians for “excessive consumption” of sugar and cooking oil, asserting that government subsidies are being squandered.
But that assertion appears to contradict data from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which shows that Iran’s per capita consumption of both items is below the global average and significantly lower than in nearby countries like Turkey.
Last year, Iranians consumed 2.3 million tons of cooking oil, compared to 3.5 million tons in Turkey, which has a similar population. On a per capita basis, Iranian consumption is 30% lower than the global average.
The minister also claimed that 90% of Iran’s cooking oil is imported at subsidized rates, yet FAO data puts the figure closer to 56%, with imports steadily declining over the past three years.
Sugar tells a similar story. Iranians consume about 10% less than the global average, and nearly half as much as Turks. Far from being excessive, these levels reflect increasing constraints on household consumption.
Chasing the basics
These accusations also overlook a crucial fact: food inflation in Iran is out of control. The price of cooking oil surged 20% in just three months, according to a report by economic outlet Tejarat News on Monday.
Iran’s Statistical Center reports annual inflation of 31% for cooking oil and 41% for sugar.
Such price spikes make basic goods increasingly unaffordable for most households. And the toll is visible in declining food security.
FAO data shows that per capita meat consumption in Iran has fallen by 40% over the past decade, while dairy consumption has dropped by 30%.
A senior food industry official said last week that the average Iranian now consumes 7–10 kilograms of meat per year—consistent with FAO’s estimate of just over 8 kilograms, down from 12 kg just a few years ago.
“Meat consumption in Iran is deeply unequal—some eat nothing, while others manage 20 kilograms a year,” said Masoud Rasouli, secretary of the Meat Production and Packaging Association, adding that the global average is 32 kilograms.
The figures don’t lie: Iranians are not consuming too much—they’re getting by with less.
Contrary to the official line—and even public opinion—excess is not a national trait. It’s an alien concept to the majority chasing the basics.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council issued a warning on Monday that any Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities will be met with a direct response targeting Israel’s concealed nuclear infrastructure.
Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported on Saturday that Iranian intelligence services had obtained a large cache of sensitive material from Israel, including documents related to the Jewish state's nuclear and strategic facilities.
The intelligence operation yielded a “significant intelligence achievement,” the Supreme National Security Council's said in a statement, adding that a detailed database of Israeli targets is now at the disposal of Iran’s armed forces.
“In the event of aggression, the (Israeli) regime’s hidden nuclear facilities will be targeted,” the statement said.
The council emphasized that this intelligence gain was part of “a smart, quiet strategy” by the Islamic Republic in response to what it described as hostile media and political pressure.
It further praised what it described as "the tireless and unassuming efforts of the armed forces aimed at building operational capabilities tailored to the weaknesses and strengths of the Zionist occupying regime (Israel) and its supporters."
Iran's intelligence and operational readiness, the statement added, now allows Iran’s forces to immediately retaliate not only against nuclear threats but also against any act of sabotage targeting Iran’s economic or military infrastructure.
Iran’s intelligence minister said on Sunday the documents will soon be made public. However, Israeli security experts have cast doubt on Tehran’s claims of obtaining sensitive Israeli intelligence as exaggerated or psychological warfare.
Asher Ben-Artzi, a former head of Israel’s Interpol, told Iran International, “I know that the relevant information is well-guarded in Israel and it does not seem to me that hackers can access it."
He warned that the intelligence may not be as significant as claimed. “Iran wants to tell the world that their intelligence personnel are professionals, but they probably think that their use of disinformation will increase their achievements,” he said.
In 2018, Israel said it had stolen Iran's nuclear documents including 55,000 pages and 55,000 digital files from a warehouse in Tehran's Shourabad area through an intelligence operation.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council warned on Monday that any Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities will be met with a direct response targeting Israel’s concealed nuclear infrastructure.
The statement follows what Iranian officials described as a complex intelligence operation in which its agents allegedly obtained classified Israeli information, including documents related to its nuclear and strategic facilities.
According to the council’s statement, the operation constituted a “significant intelligence achievement,” adding that a detailed database of Israeli targets is now at the disposal of Iran’s armed forces.
“In the event of aggression, the (Israeli) regime’s hidden nuclear facilities will be targeted,” the statement said.
The council emphasized that this intelligence gain was part of “a smart, quiet strategy” by the Islamic Republic in response to what it described as hostile media and political pressure.
Armed forces’ “tireless and humble efforts” in preparing the potential response, it added, aligned with the weaknesses and strengths of Israel and its allies.
The statement added that the integration of intelligence and operational readiness now allows Iran’s forces to immediately retaliate not only against nuclear threats but also against any act of sabotage targeting Iran’s economic or military infrastructure.
The secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council will issue "an important statement" in coming hours, Iran's state television reported Monday, without providing further details.
