175 cafes shut down in north-west Iran

NCRI - At least 175 cafes were shut down on Friday by the mullahs' regime in Eastern Azerbaijan Province, north-west Iran.

The regime claims the action was taken to tackle the custom of smoking water-pipes, a common feature of many Iranian cafes. However local residents say the repressive action is meant to spread fear among the population to prevent anti-regime gatherings from taking place.

Hundreds of cafeteria employees were left without jobs following the move.

Last November, the Iranian regime’s suppressive State Security Forces shut down dozens of cafés in Tehran for “failure to comply with certain regulations” which include “improper dressing by costumers and smoking cigarettes.”

Iranian police carry out regular morality checks, arresting women and youths on the pretext of improper clothing and non-Islamic hairstyles.