Iran and its proxies may be preparing for a major effort with military elements in northern Syria.
Protest organizers successfully generated significant turnout for the planned countrywide protests on February 16. At least 15 protests occurred in 13 cities across 12 provinces.
Hardline Iranian media is continuing to give increased public attention to prominent moderates and reformists who have criticized the regime.
Senior Iranian officials promoted the slogan “Woman, Chastity, Security” on February 14, capturing much of the regime response to the Mahsa Amini protests.
An unidentified individual threw homemade hand grenades at a Basij base in Mohammad Shahr, Alborz Province.
The UN released a report detailing that unidentified member states assess that the de facto leader of al Qaeda, Saif al Adel, is currently living in Iran. [38] The US State Department expressed support for this assessment on February 15.[39] Adel is a former Egyptian lieutenant colonel and has been a senior officer in al Qaeda for decades. He became al Qaeda leader after the US killed his predecessor, Ayman al Zawahiri, in Kabul, Afghanistan in July 2022. Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian denied that Adel is living in Iran in response to the UN report.[40]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-february-16-2023
Iran Crisis Update, February 17, 2023
Actors from across the Iranian political spectrum are publicly acknowledging Mir Hossein Mousavi’s February 4 call for “foundational change” in the Islamic Republic.
Iran is reportedly taking advantage of humanitarian aid convoys to move rockets or missiles into eastern Syria.
Iran targeted an Israeli-owned oil tanker in the Arabian Sea on February 10, according to Western reports.
At least four protests occurred in four cities across three provinces.
The Ministry of Intelligence and Security Deputy Hossein Hojjati stated on February 17 that approximately 30,000 security personnel participated in suppressing the Mahsa Amini protest movement.
Iranian officials continued to frame increased Sino-Iranian cooperation as a partial solution to Iran’s deteriorating economic conditions.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-february-17-2023