What’s behind Iran’s policy to criminalize pet ownership?
The Persian country is trying to pass a new regulation that would have a direct impact on the local pet industry.
Conservative lawmakers in the national parliament have been denouncing dog ownership as “morally depraved” and are working on drafting a new bill to criminalize owning, breeding and even walking dogs in public spaces.
The situation worsened a few weeks ago, when police in the capital Tehran banned people from entering the city’s parks with dogs. Hossein Rahimi, head of the Tehran police, said in a press conference that officers would “confront anyone” who fails to obey the new regulations.
“Some people enter parks with dogs, especially super-big dogs that cause fear just to see them, so our priority is to deal with this,” stated Rahimi. “In our opinion, these actions are considered a crime, and the crime is obvious, and legal action will be taken against them,” he threatened.
According to the local press, these threats have already become real. Many dog owners were arrested and animals were impounded by security forces.
Sanctions
In addition, politicians have been drafting a new regulation – the Protection of the Public’s Rights Against Animals law – demanding that dogs must be registered and permission must be obtained to own the animals.
The bill includes a fine of around $800 to “import, purchase and sale, transportation and keeping” of a range of animals.
Islamic Law defines dogs as “dirty animals” and people who own animals as pets are considered as being under malign Western influence. Since the creation of the Islamic Republic in Iran in 1979, the acceptability of dog ownership has been debated by the authorities. In the national parliament, conservative deputies have been denouncing dog ownership as “morally depraved,” and in their eyes should be banned.
Market
The pet food market in Iran has been moving towards self-sufficiency since early 2020, when the government completely banned import supplies. But quite a few foreign brands are still making their way into the country through smuggling channels.
All started in 2018, when former American president Donald Trump reinstated economic sanctions against Iran that had been withdrawn following the signing of the so-called nuclear deal, under which the country promised to curb its enrichment of uranium, a metal used to make nuclear weapons.
In response, the Iranian government stopped importing more than 1,300 goods that could be produced within the country – which included pet food.
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