SAEDNEWS: In a symbolic gesture of recognition, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited a women-led volunteer center in Mashhad, operated by young women born in the 2000s, during a recent religious pilgrimage.
According to Saed News, President Masoud Pezeshkian made a high-profile stop at a women’s volunteer camp in Mashhad, signaling a rare public endorsement of young Iranian women’s civic participation. The visit took place during his official trip to the city, coinciding with the annual commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Reza (A.S.), the eighth Shia Imam.
The president paid tribute to the Hazrat Najmeh Khatun Moukeb, a temporary service station managed by a group of women in their late teens and early twenties — commonly referred to in Iran as the "2000s generation" or “Dahe-Hashtadi” girls. Located within the Imam Reza Student Complex, the Moukeb offers accommodation and support services to female pilgrims arriving for the religious ceremonies.
Pezeshkian engaged with both the young volunteers and the women pilgrims they were hosting. According to official reports, he expressed admiration for the organizational skills, hospitality, and devotion displayed by the young women, many of whom are university students or recent graduates. His visit was not merely ceremonial — the president spent time learning about their operations, listening to their concerns, and discussing their motivations for volunteering.
While Pezeshkian's administration has largely maintained the conservative tone of the Islamic Republic, his public appearance at a youth-run, female-led initiative hints at a potentially more inclusive rhetoric, especially toward the younger generation — a demographic often at the center of social and political tension in recent years.
The image of the Iranian president — speaking with young women volunteers, many wearing traditional chadors while also embracing tech-savvy, grassroots organizing — has sparked discussion on Iranian social media, where generational divides and gender roles remain fiercely debated topics.
The event, occurring during one of the most emotionally charged religious observances in Iran’s Shia calendar, also offered the president an opportunity to reinforce the state’s connection to faith-based volunteerism while subtly acknowledging the aspirations of a new generation of women seeking purpose and participation within the framework of religious and national service.
Though largely symbolic, the encounter was widely interpreted as a political nod to younger Iranians, especially women, who continue to balance piety, patriotism, and the desire for greater agency in public life.
