The chief of Tehran city's police force, Mehdi Ahmadi, told reporters, “Since the operation to boost public security started at 10:00 am on Saturday, 1,347 women have been warned and given Islamic guidance, and 117 have been arrested and transported to police stations.”

“In continuation of the operation to boost public security with an emphasis on moral values,” continued Ahmadi, “544 businesses were warned and briefed on proper dressing and 20 businesses were sealed shut.”

According to the numbers released by Ahmadi, 79 vehicles were also impounded on the first day of the operation: “47 vehicles were impounded because of their drivers’ inappropriate clothing, 8 vehicles for offending public morality, and 24 others for creating noise pollution.”

These numbers are for the first day of what the police calls “a drive to boost public security in Tehran”. The drive began around the country on Saturday, but no numbers have yet been released of the scope of arrests and warnings issued in other cities.

According to Fars News Agency, “At 8 p.m. Saturday night a police bus carrying inappropriately-dressed women and girls entered the Vozara complex that combats public/social corruption. The arrested women were immediately transported to a section designated for women for interrogation.” According to a Fars news agency reporter, “In the women’s section, a number of female officers were taking pictures from the arrested individuals. These pictures will be stored in a database for later access to profiles of inappropriately-dressed women.”

Another officer at Tehran city’s police offices, Colonel Hosseini, told reporters, “The drive to confront inappropriately-dressed women, the informational and the public relations campaign that began a few days ago, was launched this morning with the stationing of police officers at 23 designated locations across Tehran.”

“After photographing and questioning the women,” said Hosseini, “we will enter the information they have provided in their files. In case they are arrested again, they will be handed over to the judiciary.”

Colonel Hosseini claimed, “We do not have a policy of physical confrontation, unless the suspected individual does not abide.” Commenting on reports of physical clashes between two women and officers, Hosseini said, “The resistance of two women, who had been arrested because of their inappropriate dress, led to a clash between them and the officers as they were being transported to the detention center.

Hosseini also claimed, “The drive to confront inappropriately-dressed males will begin very soon, and our guidelines will be announced very soon as well.”

Hosseini also spoke about the goals of this drive in these terms: “Our main goal is to carry out this operation so that people feel safe in their streets and houses, and for the protection of their private spheres.”