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Women riding the streets of Tehran on motorbikes is the latest sign of Iran’s societal change
AP News ^ | November 12, 2025 | MEHDI FATTAHI

Posted on 11/14/2025 7:28:08 PM PST by MinorityRepublican

When Merat Behnam first gathered enough courage to ride her yellow scooter through the gridlocked streets of Iran ‘s capital to the coffee shop she runs, traffic wasn’t her main worry.

She instead girded herself for disapproving looks, verbal abuse and even being stopped by the police for being a women riding a motorbike in Tehran, something long frowned upon by hard-liners and conservative clerics in Iran.

But Behnam, 38, found herself broadly accepted on the road — and part of a wider reconsideration by women about societal expectations in Iran.

It’s not all encompassing, particularly as hard-line politicians call for laws on the hijab or headscarf to be enforced as Iran cracks down on intellectuals in the wake of the 12-day Iran-Israel war in June — but it does represent a change.

“It was a big deal for me,” Behnam told The Associated Press after riding up to her café on a recent day. “I didn’t really know how to go about it. In the beginning I was quite stressed, but gradually the way people treated me and their reactions encouraged me a lot.”

‘Exposed to the wind’ Two things in the past prevented women from driving motorbikes or scooters. First of all, police regulations in Iran’s Farsi language specifically refer to only “mardan” or “men” being able to obtain motorcycle licenses. It’s a very gender-specific wording in Farsi, which broadly is a gender-neutral language grammatically.

“This issue is not a violation but a crime, and my colleagues will deal with these individuals, since none of these women currently have a driver’s license and we cannot act against the law,” Gen. Abulfazl Mousavipoor, Tehran’s traffic police chief, said in a report carried by the semiofficial ISNA news agency in September.

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Iran
KEYWORDS:
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1 posted on 11/14/2025 7:28:08 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
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To: MinorityRepublican

Getting some last rides in before the city is evacuated and moved.

- they are running out of water there in Tehran


2 posted on 11/14/2025 7:30:56 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: MinorityRepublican
“…for being a women riding a motorbike in Tehran, something long frowned upon…”

Really, AP? 🤦🏻‍♀️

3 posted on 11/14/2025 7:36:04 PM PST by Allegra
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To: Allegra

Editing is a lost art.


4 posted on 11/14/2025 7:37:32 PM PST by Disambiguator
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To: MinorityRepublican

It is their fault that Mohamed sent the drought.


5 posted on 11/14/2025 7:39:10 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

I’ve seen some unconfirmed reports of senior military leaders denouncing the Iranian leadership and then going into hiding. Not sure if it’s true. But if so, maybe we’re seeing some cracks appearing in the mullahs power base.

CC


6 posted on 11/14/2025 7:48:25 PM PST by Celtic Conservative (Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam!)
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To: Celtic Conservative

Demonic Obama and his lizard overlord Valerie Jarrett are both deeply saddened.


7 posted on 11/14/2025 7:55:19 PM PST by captmar-vell
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To: Allegra

AP should report on the Hadith that clearly states, ‘women are deficient in religion and deficient intelligence’.


8 posted on 11/14/2025 8:04:13 PM PST by existentially_kuffer
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To: MinorityRepublican

9 posted on 11/14/2025 8:35:21 PM PST by Jeff Chandler (The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.)
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To: captmar-vell

Demonic Obama and his lizard overlord Valerie Jarrett are both deeply saddened

><

Yep, that lizard and the Piece of Obama are very sad. They’re both among those at the top of the Evil list.


10 posted on 11/14/2025 8:45:21 PM PST by laplata (They want each crisis to take the greatest toll possible.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

Bkmk


11 posted on 11/14/2025 9:01:55 PM PST by sauropod
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To: Disambiguator

“Editing is a lost art.”

It seems the spell checker is the only editor. Gibberish with no mispellings.


12 posted on 11/14/2025 9:21:15 PM PST by rxh4n1
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To: Allegra; Disambiguator; dfwgator

🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶 More than a women,
More than a women to me ... 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶


13 posted on 11/14/2025 9:23:29 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the Days of Lot; They did Eat, They Drank, They Bought, They Sold ......)
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To: Allegra

“MEHDI FATTAHI” is a common name for several individuals, most notably an Associated Press (AP) journalist based in Tehran, Iran, and a number of academics/researchers.

Engrish may not bee pry-mary rangruage

But I’m certain that he does a MUCH BETTER JOB
than I’d do with Farsi...🤣🤣😂😂


14 posted on 11/14/2025 9:28:09 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the Days of Lot; They did Eat, They Drank, They Bought, They Sold ......)
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To: rxh4n1; dfwgator

(Gibberish with no mispellings)

I prefer Authentic Frontier Gibberish myself

I wash born here, an I wash raished here, and dad gum it, I am gonna die here, an no sidewindin’ bushwackin’, hornswagglin’ cracker croaker is gonna rouin me bishen cutter.


15 posted on 11/14/2025 9:31:41 PM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the Days of Lot; They did Eat, They Drank, They Bought, They Sold ......)
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To: Jeff Chandler

As a rider what I have found is Go=Pro cameras.

Make both sexes of MC riders do stupide stuff.


16 posted on 11/15/2025 2:41:32 AM PST by riverrunner
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To: Celtic Conservative

Video from #Tehran this evening shows two brave officers of the #Iranian Air Force
https://x.com/BabakTaghvaee1/status/1988688257517781339

They may see the great drought that will drive almost all from Tehran.

The drought is man made, by improper management. Mullah IDIOTS


17 posted on 11/15/2025 4:59:32 AM PST by Texas Fossil (Texas is not about where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind and Attitude.)
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To: laplata

Valerie Jarrett = Obozo’s “Persian Serpent”.

“Val Jar”


18 posted on 11/15/2025 5:02:56 AM PST by Texas Fossil (Texas is not about where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind and Attitude.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

*Abulfazl Mousavipoor*

I’ll say one thing for them - they have cool names.


19 posted on 11/15/2025 6:38:41 AM PST by FroggyTheGremlim (Hail to Pitt!)
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To: laplata

They worked to shutdown any opposition for the Mullahs in Tehran then sent pallets of cash and who knows what else including drone technology to support attacks against Israel and the West.

Once Iran’s proxy’s Hamas and Hezbollah were all blown up by Israel, they proved what we already knew, they are cowards.


20 posted on 11/15/2025 9:29:39 AM PST by captmar-vell
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