Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that he was "strongly" opposed to a police crackdown against women deemed to refuse Islamic dress code and on the behaviour of youths in public, ILNA reported.
"I am strongly against such actions. It is impossible for such actions to be successful," Ahmadinejad said in an interview on state television when asked about the crackdown which has intensified in past weeks.
I prefer to work in a cultural way. Any punishment must be given after a judge's decision," said Ahmadinejad, adding that his government had no role in the crackdown.
"The government is not interfering in this. We consider it is insulting to ask a boy and girl about their relationship. Nobody has the right to ask people such a question," he said.
"I hope such things will not happen in our country and that such actions are stopped before I have to give serious warnings," he added.