Iran extends dog walking bans to more than 20 cities as crackdown widens

Iranian prosecutors have expanded a ban on dog walking to more than 20 cities across the country, building on similar restrictions first introduced in the capital Tehran in 2019.

The ban has now spread to at least 25 cities, including Kermanshah, Ilam, Hamadan, Kerman, Boroujerd, Robat Karim, Lavasanat, and Golestan, according to a report by Tehran-based reformist-leaning outlet Faraz News on Sunday.

While no national legislation has been passed, judicial authorities are enforcing the ban through local directives and police orders, citing various articles of Iran’s Penal Code and Constitution.

These include Article 638 on public morality, Article 688 on threats to public health, and Article 40 of the Constitution, which prohibits harm to others.

Several prosecutors across various provinces announced the new bans over the weekend.

Kashmar, a city in northeastern Iran’s Razavi Khorasan province, is among the latest to implement the ban.

“Dog walking has been prohibited in this county in order to safeguard public hygiene and the physical and psychological safety of the public,” the city’s public prosecutor said on Sunday.

Khalkhal’s public prosecutor Mozaffar Rezaei in northwest Iran’s Ardabil province announced the ban came into effect on June 6. “Offenders will face consequences if they are seen walking dogs in parks, public spaces, or carrying them on their vehicles,” Rezaei said in remarks to Islamic Republic News Agency (ILNA) published Sunday.

"In addition to the financial and physical damages, religious rulings and cultural considerations must be taken into account, as this practice reflects the promotion of a Western lifestyle," he added.

In Ilam, western Iran, authorities imposed a dog walking ban on Saturday, warning that anyone seen walking dogs in parks, public areas, or transporting them in vehicles would face legal action. Police have also been instructed to impound vehicles involved in violations, according to provincial judicial chief Omran Ali Mohammadi.

In Isfahan, central Iran, the ban was announced last week by Mohammad Mousavian, the city’s public prosecutor who also ordered police to impound vehicles carrying dogs and shut down pet shops and unauthorized veterinary clinics.

A group of animal rights activists gathered outside the governor’s office in Isfahan on Sunday, calling for an end to what they described as municipal dog culling.