Two Iranian women were detained after a video appeared on social media showing them dancing in Tehran's Tayreesh Square. They were dressed as a fictional character from Iranian folklore known as "Haji Firuz", it says "Radio Free Europe".
"Hajji Firuz" is traditionally associated with the celebrations leading up to Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which marks the beginning of spring on March 20.
Authorities deemed their performance an act of "social defiance," leading to their arrest on the orders of prosecutors in Tehran for "committing acts of violation of norms," according to reports from the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Tensions are rising in Iran over the behavior of Iranians in public and the enforcement of dress codes, especially for women.
