Iran's police set for new crackdown on 'models'

Iran Mania:

Police in the Iranian capital are poised to launch a fresh crackdown targeting "models of corruption", or in other words poorly-veiled women, press reports said Wednesday.

"The police will act against the models of corruption out in public places and against those who may not be ladies of the street but whose conduct does not respect Islam," Tehran province's police chief, General Reza Zareie, was quoted as saying.

The general pledged that his forces would deploy in parks and streets around the capital that are frequented by residents on weekend picnics to escape the sprawling city's heat and pollution.

Pre-summer crackdowns on skimpy clothes and flimsy headscarfs are common in Islamic Iran, where all post-pubescent females are required to wear the veil and a long coat that conceals their bodily form.

Violators risk fines or imprisonment.