On Sunday, the reformist Etemad newspaper quoted an official from Ilam city as saying that “legal action will be taken against violators”, without elaborating.
On Saturday, the state newspaper Iran 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 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that “keeping dogs for reasons other than herding, hunting and guard dogs is considered reprehensible”.
“If this practise resembles that of non-Muslims, promotes their culture or causes harm and disturbance to neighbours, it is deemed forbidden,” he added, according to Tasnim news agency.
