Iran authorities expand dog walking ban

Iranians ticker arsenic their dogs sniff each different successful a parkland successful Tehran connected June 8, 2025 | Photo Credit: AFP

Iranian authorities person expanded a prohibition connected walking dogs successful nationalist to aggregate cities nationwide, citing nationalist health, societal bid and information concerns, home media reported Sunday (June 8, 2025).

The prohibition — which echoes a 2019 constabulary directive that barred walking dogs successful Tehran — was expanded to Ilam metropolis successful the westbound connected Sunday (June 8, 2025), according to reports.

At slightest 17 different cities introduced akin bans successful caller days, including Isfahan successful the centre and Kerman successful the south.

Owning and walking dogs has been a contentious taxable since the 1979 Islamic gyration successful Iran, though determination is nary instrumentality outrightly banning canine ownership.

Many spiritual scholars nevertheless see petting dogs oregon coming into interaction with their saliva arsenic “najis” oregon ritually impure, portion immoderate officials presumption them arsenic a awesome of Western taste influence.

Local authorities person periodically introduced bans connected walking dogs successful nationalist spaces oregon carrying them successful vehicles arsenic portion of a wider run to discourage their ownership.

Enforcing the restrictions has been mostly inconsistent, arsenic galore owners proceed to locomotion their dogs successful Tehran and elsewhere crossed Iran.

On Sunday (June 8, 2025), the reformist Etemad paper quoted an authoritative from Ilam metropolis arsenic saying that “legal enactment volition beryllium taken against violators”, without elaborating.

On Saturday (June 7, 2025), the authorities paper Iran said the latest measures are aimed astatine “maintaining nationalist order, ensuring information and protecting nationalist health”.

“Dog walking is simply a menace to nationalist health, bid and comfort,” said Abbas Najafi, authoritative of the occidental metropolis of Hamedan, arsenic quoted by Iran newspaper.

In 2021, immoderate 75 lawmakers condemned favored ownership arsenic a “destructive societal problem”, saying it could “gradually alteration the Iranian and Islamic mode of life”.

In 2017, Iran’s ultimate person Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that “keeping dogs for reasons different than herding, hunting and defender dogs is considered reprehensible”.

“If this signifier resembles that of non-Muslims, promotes their civilization oregon causes harm and disturbance to neighbours, it is deemed forbidden,” helium added, according to Tasnim quality agency.

Published - June 08, 2025 10:36 p.m. IST