Ali-Reza Zakani today said he will not make a promise to have a set percentage of women in his cabinet as “promising to appoint a certain number of women as ministers is contrary to religious and meritocratic standards and norms”. Zakani also criticised other candidates for “turning cultural issues into political-security issues” which in his mind amounted to a “great betrayal”.

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Ali Motahari said that the hijab is optional in Iran, but 80% of Iranians support it. He added that the 20% who do not should not be interfered with. Motahari’s comments are in the context of a recent Clubhouse appearance where he compared non-veiling to nudity and made some racist and misogynistic comments regarding male attention to women. Motahari’s statement that the hijab is optional do not correspond with Iranian law.

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