'Happy' video arrests in Iran underscore political tensions
Hardliners resent tolerant stance adopted by moderate leader Rowhani
The arrest of six young Iranian men and women who videoed themselves dancing to Pharrell Williams' Happy shows how far Tehran will go to halt what it deems to be decadent Western behaviour - despite the views of its moderate president.
A tweet posted on President Hassan Rowhani's account addressed the controversy, weighing in on the dancers and suggesting leniency. "#Happiness is our people's right," it said. "We shouldn't be too hard on behaviours caused by joy."
Other social media posts in the name of one of the dancers suggested the six had been released on Wednesday, although there was no independent confirmation from authorities.
The case was another reminder of the tensions that exist at the highest levels of Iranian power.
Hardliners are increasingly challenging Rowhani as the country negotiates a nuclear deal with world powers. The president, meanwhile, campaigned for greater cultural and social freedoms in his bid to succeeded Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last year, and on Saturday he articulated a moderate stance about the internet, which remains tightly regulated by authorities.
Sites such as YouTube and Facebook are blocked by censors, though many Iranians use proxy servers or other workarounds to bypass the controls.
"We should see the cyberworld as an opportunity," said Rowhani, the official IRNA news agency reported. "Why are we so shaky? Why don't we trust our youth?"