Ali Rafiee, head of the public places police of Greater Tehran, announced on Tuesday 6 October 2026 that serving hookah, performing live music and using DJs are banned in Tehran's cafés, and that police will act against any establishment that fails to comply with these rules.
According to IRNA, the Islamic Republic's official news agency, which published his remarks, later echoed by outlets such as Fararu and Iran International, Rafiee said: "Cafés must operate solely within the framework of their trade category." He also listed gambling-related activities, alongside hookah, live music and DJs, among the practices that will be dealt with, adding that police will step in as soon as such cases are observed.
Details of the ban in Tehran's cafés
According to Fararu, the head of the public places police justified the restrictions by citing a "trade overlap" between cafés' activities and services offered outside the scope of their licences, and said cafés must be at least one kilometre away from educational institutions. According to him, trade oversight of these businesses rests with the union of juice, ice cream and coffee shops. The published remarks did not mention any specific fine or penalty. The Rokna website also reported, citing the public places police, that a number of Tehran cafés had been hosting DJs and gambling games.
Background of the crackdown on cafés
In recent years cafés have been among the few public spaces where young people in Tehran gather, and they have repeatedly been targeted by the public places police. According to Euronews Persian, in May–June this year the public places police sealed off a café in central Tehran on charges of "promoting deviant sects".
The announcement of these bans comes as the authorities have stepped up police and judicial measures in recent weeks, including the police and judicial crackdown on websites publishing currency rates, which began on 5 October on the orders of Tehran's prosecutor.
Tehran's public places police declared hookah, live music, DJs and gambling banned in cafés and announced immediate action against violators.
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