Authorities in Iran have expanded a ban on walking dogs in public to multiple cities nationwide, AFP news agency reported on Sunday, citing local media.

The ban – which echoes a 2019 police directive that barred walking dogs in Tehran –  was expanded to Ilam city in the west on Sunday, according to reports.

According to the news agency, at least 17 cities in the country have introduced similar bans in recent days, including Isfahan in the centre and Kerman in the south.

Why Iran has expanded the ban on walking dogs 

Owning and walking dogs has remained a contentious topic in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, even though, according to AFP, there is no law outrightly banning dog ownership in the country.

Many religious scholars consider petting dogs or coming into contact with their saliva as ritually impure, while some officials view them as a symbol of Western cultural influence, reported AFP.

Local Iranian authorities have periodically introduced bans on walking dogs in public spaces or carrying them in vehicles as part of a wider campaign to discourage their ownership.

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In 2010, Iran’s ministry of culture and Islamic guidance banned the media from publishing advertisements for pets or pet-related products. Four years later, there was also a push in parliament to fine and even flog dog walkers, according to the BBC. 

On Sunday, the reformist newspaper Etemad reported that an official from Ilam city stated, “legal action will be taken against violators,” but provided no further details.

A day before that, the state newspaper Iran said the latest measures are aimed at “maintaining public order, ensuring safety and protecting public health.”

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The newspaper quoted Abbas Najafi, prosecutor of the western city of Hamedan, as saying, “Dog walking is a threat to public health, peace, and comfort. “

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”, according to AFP.

“If this practice resembles that of non-Muslims, promotes their culture or causes harm and disturbance to neighbours, it is deemed forbidden,” he had said.