Two Iranian women arrested for dancing in a square in Tehran

Two Iranian women were detained after a video appeared on social media showing them dancing in Tehran's Tajrish Square. They were dressed as a fictional character from Iranian folklore known as "Haji Firuz".

Hajji Firuz is traditionally associated with the celebrations that precede Norouz, the Persian New Year, which marks the beginning of spring on March 20.

The authorities described their performance as an act of "social defiance", leading to their arrest on the orders of a Tehran prosecutor for "committing an act of violation of norms", according to reports from the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Tensions are rising in Iran over the behavior of Iranians in public and the enforcement of dress codes, especially for women.

In a separate incident in Cuomo, a city known for its religious significance, a standoff at a medical center escalated into a national controversy.

The incident happened when a video surfaced on social media showing a priest filming a woman without a hijab while she was bringing her child to a clinic.

The visibly shocked mother begged the priest to delete the unauthorized video, but he insisted that she must comply with hijab rules.

This sparked a backlash on social media, with initial reports claiming that the woman, along with clinic staff, was facing arrest by the intelligence services of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

They also claimed that the medical center was temporarily closed.

However, government and judicial authorities rejected the claims and said no arrests had been made in connection with the incident.

Prosecutor Cuomo subsequently ordered an investigation to identify those responsible for distributing the footage to the media.

The hijab, or head and neck scarf, became compulsory for women and girls over the age of nine in 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The move sparked protests that were quickly quelled by the new authorities.

Many women have broken the rule over the years and pushed the boundaries of what officials say is acceptable clothing.

Since September 2022, when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died while in police custody for allegedly violating the dress code, thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets to demand more freedoms and rights for women.

Several thousand people were arrested, including many protesters, as well as journalists, lawyers, activists, digital rights defenders and others.

At least nine protesters were executed in what rights groups and several Western governments called "sham" trials.