TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday delivered a staunch defense of the hijab as more women flout the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code, prompting criticism from ultraconservatives.

His remarks came a day after more than half of Iran’s conservative-dominated parliament accused the judiciary of failing to properly enforce the law on mandatory headscarves on women.

Last week, Khamenei’s office faced backlash from some ultraconservatives after it published in its newspaper a photo of an unveiled Iranian woman killed in the June war with Israel.

In the picture, the woman appeared with a baseball cap on her head, her hair clearly visible.

“In the Islamic Republic, it has been shown that a Muslim woman, wearing the hijab and respecting the Islamic dress, can progress more than others in all areas and play an active role both in society and in her home,” said Khamenei in a meeting with a........

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