Dey bookstore and Arsa Book House sealed on Tehran's Iranshahr Street

Two bookstores facing each other on Tehran's Iranshahr Street, "Ketab Dey" and "Arsa Book House", were sealed on Saturday 7 November. The closures came days after the Islamic Republic's security forces broke up a gathering of young people celebrating Halloween on the same street.

Journalist Yaghma Fashkhami reported the sealing of the two bookstores. Ketab Dey also told its customers that it is closed until further notice and cannot deliver or ship any books this week. No authority has so far taken responsibility for the closures or given a reason. YouTuber Melika Ghanami linked the closures to the recent gatherings on Iranshahr Street.

Crackdown on the Halloween gathering on Iranshahr

On the evening of Friday 30 October, police closed Iranshahr Street near Honarmandan Park, and Basij forces and plainclothes agents then moved in. Witnesses said a number of young people were beaten and detained, nearby cafés were forced to close and families in Honarmandan Park were made to leave. The number of those detained and injured is unclear.

The crackdown followed a directive from the Islamic Republic's Chamber of Guilds banning Halloween events in public places and business premises and threatening violators with closure and prosecution.

Earlier closures of bookstores

Ketab Dey had already been sealed in autumn 2023, during a wave of business closures on the pretext of compulsory hijab. In the same period, other bookstores in Tehran, Isfahan, Babolsar and Rasht were also sealed for a time for similar reasons. In July 2026, several cafés on Sanaei and Iranshahr streets, gathering places for Tehran's young people, were sealed on the orders of judicial and police officials.

After crushing the Halloween gathering, the Islamic Republic also shut two bookstores on Tehran's Iranshahr Street.