Iran Crisis Update, March 20, 2023
Iranian security leaders have announced in recent days that they will resume enforcing the mandatory hijab law with a confrontational approach. The security leaders directing this more confrontational approach may have won the intra-regime debate against more moderate figures over how to enforce the hijab law.
Anti-regime outlets have published purported internal regime meeting notes detailing observations consistent with CTP’s previous assessments about intra-regime fractures and major problems within the security services during the Masha Amini protests.
Various regime actors continue to portray the economy differently.
At least two protests occurred on March 18, three protests on March 19, and five protests on March 20.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-march-20-2023
Iran Crisis Update, March 21, 2023
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei shut down intra-regime debates about political reform to address protester grievances and instead confined these debates to the economy during a Nowrouz speech. Khamenei implied that the economy should be the primary topic of intra-regime debate.
Several regime elements have reflected Khamenei’s uncompromising stance toward sociocultural issues in recent days.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf may be testing the rhetorical boundaries that Khamenei identified.
At least three protests occurred in three cities across three provinces.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-march-21-2023