While ISKP claimed responsibility for the Kerman twin suicide bombings, Iranian state media and officials are downplaying the Afghanistan connection and are instead pointing fingers at Israel. Despite internal crackdowns and heightened security measures, Iran treads carefully to avoid straining relations with the Taliban amid escalating tensions in the region.
Violence and discrimination against women in Iran is rooted in the Islamic Republic's state structure. Those in power are now being challenged by a women's rights movement spurred by resistance to wearing headscarves.
The Iranian authorities have intensified the punishments for those refusing the hijab, which threatens women and girls being treated as second-class citizens.