Iran Crisis Update, January 26, 2023
Ongoing disruptions to Iranian energy supplies may be generating severe air pollution.
The Iranian Neighborhood Youth Union (INYU) is apparently trying to cooperate with foreign governments and possibly the Iranian diaspora to isolate the regime internationally.
Security forces have reportedly maintained their heightened presence around Zahedan, Sistan, and Baluchistan Province, likely in preparation for the weekly Friday sermon from prominent Sunni cleric Moulana Abdol Hamid.
At least two protests occurred in two cities across two provinces.
Shiraz City Governor Lotfollah Shibani announced on January 26 that local merchants are required to deny services to unveiled women.
Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi blamed the Mahsa Amini protest movement on a cultural schism between Iranian youth and the values of the Islamic Republic on January 26.
Iranian media circulated a survey demonstrating limited domestic engagement with regime-endorsed social media outlets on January 26.
Protesters gathered outside the Iraqi Central Bank in Baghdad, Basra, Dhi Qar, and Diwaniyah to protest ongoing economic crises.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-crisis-update-january-26-2023
Iran Crisis Update, January 27, 2023
An armed individual shot and killed the security chief of the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran and injured two guards on January 27.
Iranian Law Enforcement Commander Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Radan appointed a new commander for the LEC Tehran provincial unit several hours after the attack on the Azerbaijani embassy.
Protest organizations and coordinators have blamed the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for the attack on the Azerbaijani embassy, although there is currently no evidence to corroborate these claims.
The US Justice Department announced on January 27 the arrest of three individuals in connection with a plot to assassinate prominent Iranian-American journalist and regime critic Masih Alinejad.
At least three protests occurred in three cities across two provinces.
Prominent Sunni cleric Moulana Abdol Hamid inspired protests during his Friday sermon in Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchistan Province on January 27 as he has done weekly since September 2022.
Protest coordinators published recruitment messages on social media on January 27.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-crisis-update-january-27-2023