An Iranian parliamentary commission has sent a revised hijab bill to the Guardian Council, an unelected arch-conservative supervisory body, for review, the Tasnim news agency reported on Monday.
If the draft is now approved, draconian penalties could be imposed in future for violations of the country’s dress-code rules, including the mandate that women covered their hair in public.
A fierce debate about the proposed law has been raging in Iran since last year.
For some of the hardliners who dominate parliament the penalties do not go far enough.
Moderate politicians and the apparent majority of women, on the other hand, were firmly opposed.
The proposal provided for harsh penalties, including fines for multiple offences.
In extreme cases, up to 15 years in prison and the equivalent of more than 5,000 dollars in fines could be imposed.
Foreign women could be expelled from the country, and celebrities are to be punished particularly severely for offences.
The draft also provided for professional bans of up to 15 years.
The bill is a response by the clerical and political leadership to the mass protests led by women against the Islamic Republic in 2022.
The Judicial Commission used a political trick to approve the legal changes last year without a vote in the plenary session of parliament.
The Guardian Council then blocked the law and demanded improvements.
Since then, the draft has been bouncing between parliament and the council