Iranian authorities expand ban on dog walking
The ban —which echoes a 2019 police directive that barred walking dogs in Tehran — was expanded to Ilam city in the west on Sunday, according to reports.
At least 17 other cities recently introduced similar bans, including Isfahan in the center and Kerman in the south.
Owning and walking dogs has been a contentious topic since the 1979 revolution in Iran, though there is no law outrightly banning dog ownership.
Many religious scholars, however, consider petting dogs or coming into contact with their saliva as "najis" or ritually impure, while some officials view them as a symbol of Western cultural influence.
Local authorities have periodically introduced bans on walking dogs in public spaces or carrying them in vehicles as part of a wider campaign to discourage their ownership.
Enforcing the restrictions has been largely inconsistent, as many owners continue to walk their dogs in Tehran and elsewhere across Iran.
On Sunday, the Etemad newspaper quoted an official from Ilam city as saying that "legal action will be taken against violators."
On Saturday, a state newspaper said the latest measures are aimed at "maintaining public order, ensuring safety and protecting public health."
"Dog walking is a threat to public health, peace and comfort," said Abbas Najafi, prosecutor of the western city of Hamedan, as quoted by Iran newspaper.
In 2021, some 75 lawmakers condemned pet ownership as a "destructive social problem," saying it could "gradually change the Iranian and Islamic way of life."
In 2017, Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said that "keeping dogs for reasons other than herding, hunting, and guard dogs is considered reprehensible."
"If this practice resembles that of non-Muslims, promotes their culture, or causes harm and disturbance to neighbours, it is deemed forbidden," he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
10 hours ago
- Arab News
Afghanistan has its ‘sharpest surge' ever of child malnutrition, UN agency says
ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan is seeing its sharpest-ever surge of child malnutrition, the World Food Programme said Monday, adding it needed $539 million to help the country's most vulnerable families. Almost 10 million people, a quarter of Afghanistan's population, face acute food insecurity. One in three children is stunted. The WFP said the rise in child malnutrition was linked to a drop in emergency food assistance over the past two years because of dwindling donor support. In April, the administration of US President Donald Trump cut off food aid to Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest countries. The US had been the largest funder of the WFP, providing $4.5 billion of the $9.8 billion in donations last year. Previous US administrations viewed such aid as serving national security by alleviating conflict, poverty, extremism and curbing migration. Food insecurity in Afghanistan is being worsened by mass returns from neighboring countries, which are deporting foreigners they say are living there illegally. The WFP said it has supported 60,000 Afghans returning from Iran in the last two months, a fraction of those crossing the border. 'Going forward, the WFP does not have sufficient funding to cover the returnee response at this time and requires $15 million to assist all eligible returnees from Iran,' said WFP Communications Officer Ziauddin Safi. He said the agency needs $539 million through January to help vulnerable families across Afghanistan. Climate change is also hurting the population, especially those in rural areas. Matiullah Khalis, head of the National Environmental Protection Agency, said last week that drought, water shortages, declining arable land, and flash floods were having a 'profound impact' on people's lives and the economy.
Al Arabiya
11 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Iran says US accountability for attacks on nuclear sites part of any future talks
Iran said Monday it would hold the United States accountable for attacks on its nuclear sites in any future negotiations, while ruling out direct talks with Washington. The United States struck key Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22, briefly joining a war launched by Israel that had derailed talks on Tehran's atomic program. 'In any potential negotiation... the issue of holding the United States accountable and demanding compensation for committing military aggression against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities will be one of the topics on the agenda,' foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a press briefing on Monday. Asked whether Iran would engage in direct talks with the United States, Baqaei said: 'No.' In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented attack targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, but also hitting residential areas over 12 days of war, which US forces joined with attacks on nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. The fighting derailed talks that began in April and had been the highest-level contact between Tehran and Washington since the United States abandoned in 2018 a landmark agreement on Iran's nuclear activities. Following the war, Tehran has suspended cooperation with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog and demanded guarantees against military action before resuming any negotiations. Washington has dismissed Tehran's call for compensation as 'ridiculous.' Baqaei said on Monday that Iran was committed to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but criticized what he described as the 'politicized and unprofessional approach' of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The foreign ministry spokesman said that the IAEA's deputy chief is expected in Iran 'in less than 10 days.' Last month, Iran said future cooperation with the UN agency would take on a 'new form.' On July 25, Iranian diplomats met with counterparts from Germany, Britain and France, in the first meeting since the war with Israel ended. The three European powers are parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, which unraveled after the US withdrew during Trump's first term. In recent weeks, the trio has threatened to trigger sanctions if Tehran failed to agree a deal on uranium enrichment and cooperation with UN inspectors. Iran has repeatedly called reimposing sanctions 'illegal' and insisted on its right to enrich uranium. Israel and Western nations accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran has consistently denied.
Asharq Al-Awsat
11 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran Says US Accountability for Attacks on Nuclear Sites Part of Any Future Talks
Iran said Monday it would hold the United States accountable for attacks on its nuclear sites in any future negotiations, while ruling out direct talks with Washington. The United States struck key Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22, briefly joining a war launched by Israel that had derailed talks on Tehran's atomic program. "In any potential negotiation... the issue of holding the United States accountable and demanding compensation for committing military aggression against Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities will be one of the topics on the agenda," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a press briefing on Monday. Asked whether Iran would engage in direct talks with the United States, Baqaei said: "No." In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented attack targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, but also hitting residential areas over 12 days of war, which US forces joined with attacks on nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. The fighting derailed talks that began in April and had been the highest-level contact between Tehran and Washington since the United States abandoned in 2018 a landmark agreement on Iran's nuclear activities. Following the war, Tehran has suspended cooperation with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog and demanded guarantees against military action before resuming any negotiations. Washington has dismissed Tehran's call for compensation as "ridiculous". Baqaei said on Monday that Iran was committed to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but criticized what he described as the "politicized and unprofessional approach" of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The foreign ministry spokesman said that the IAEA's deputy chief is expected in Iran "in less than 10 days". Last month, Iran said future cooperation with the UN agency would take on a "new form". On July 25, Iranian diplomats met with counterparts from Germany, Britain and France, in the first meeting since the war with Israel ended. The three European powers are parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, which unraveled after the US withdrew during Trump's first term. In recent weeks, the trio has threatened to trigger sanctions if Tehran failed to agree a deal on uranium enrichment and cooperation with UN inspectors. Iran has repeatedly called reimposing sanctions "illegal" and insisted on its right to enrich uranium. Israel and Western nations accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran has consistently denied.
