has expanded a ban on walking across a number of cities. Officials have claimed that dog walking is a "threat to public health" and anyone who breaks the new rules faces legal action.

People are now banned from walking dogs across at least 18 cities in Iran, including Isfahan and Kerman. It comes after a police order in the capital city Tehran in 2019. As reported by the BBC, it is also illegal to transport dogs in vehicles.

Abbas Najafi, prosecutor of the western city of Hamedan, told state newspaper Iran: "Dog walking is a threat to public health, peace and comfort." Meanwhile, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei previously described dog ownership at "reprehensible".

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, dogs have been frowned upon in Iran. The authorities view them as "unclean" and a result of Western cultural influence.

However, more people have owned dogs in recent times. Young people in Iran see it as a form of rebellion against the controlling regime.

Some owners walk their dogs at night to evade the authorities, while others drive to secluded areas to ensure they go undetected.

Those who walk dogs in public face arrest and their pet being confiscated. While there is no national law that bans owning a dog, there are local restrictions in place.

According to an official from Ilam city, "legal action will be taken against violators." They were quoted by the reformist Etemad newspaper but did not elaborate further.

In 2021, 75 lawmakers described dog ownership as a "destructive social problem". They added it could "gradually change the Iranian and Islamic way of life".

Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader said: "Keeping dogs for reasons other than herding, hunting and guard dogs is considered reprehensible."

He added: "If this practice resembles that of non-Muslims, promotes their culture or causes harm and disturbance to neighbours, it is deemed forbidden."