In a shocking move, morality police in Iran detained female athletes in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf during their morning workout.

The news was brought to light by Mohammad Hossein Ajorlou, a reporter, and husband of Niloofar Hamedi, a journalist who is in prison for covering the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 after her arrest for violating hijab rules.

According to Ajorlou, the incident took place Thursday, at approximately 5:30 in the morning. The morality police patrol intervened during the female athletes' routine workout session at the popular coastal boulevard.

Some local runners present at the scene have expressed their dismay over the incident. One of the runners described the scene: "In the mornings, when we go to the coastal boulevard to run, there are all kinds of crowds. Some have not collected their hookahs from the night before, some of them are still drunk and are speeding past us in their cars. A number of addicts are looking for a piece of bread in the garbage bins, but the police arrest athletes.”

The incident has sparked outrage among the community, as the female athletes were merely engaged in a peaceful morning workout.

The names and identities of the arrested female athletes have not been disclosed at this time, and it remains uncertain under what charges they were detained.

In the aftermath of the nationwide protests following the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, the Islamic Republic has intensified its efforts to enforce mandatory hijab.

However, a resilient wave of Iranian women and girls has chosen to defy these restrictive measures by appearing in public places without hijab.