[AdmSmith]

Iran Crisis Update, February 23, 2023

Senior regime officials are increasingly acknowledging that the Islamic Republic risks permanently alienating itself from its people and that the problem is urgent, but have seemingly drawn different conclusions about how to mitigate this risk.

An Israeli OSINT Twitter account circulated uncorroborated claims that unknown actors targeted two IRGC-affiliated complexes in the vicinity of Karaj, Alborz Province, citing inside sources.
At least two protests occurred in two cities across two provinces.
Sports and Youth Minister Hamid Sajjadi has sustained serious injuries following a helicopter crash in Baft, Kerman Province.
Iranian social media users continued to report symptoms of chemical poisoning among some high school students.
An unnamed senior Iranian official told Al Monitor on February 23 that Iran would support reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or establishing a separate nuclear agreement with the United States.
The Iranian rial continued to plummet on February 23, reaching approximately 526,500 rials to one US dollar.
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Tehran on February 21.
Independent Iraqi political parties boycotted a session of Parliament.

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-february-23-2023

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https://twitter.com/steve_hanke/status/1628533090774810624

[nuconvert]

Helicopter crash killed IRI cabinet minister and securities services officer (who interrogated anti-regime dissidents & forced them to do televised confessions & denunciation of regime opposition)

[AdmSmith]

Iran Crisis Update, February 24, 2023

Iranian regime security forces escalated against prominent Sunni cleric Moulana Abdol Hamid after months of relative restraint while concentrating forces in Zahedan. Abdol Hamid deescalated slightly in his Friday sermon, possibly in response to the regime’s more aggressive security approach. Some clerics within Abdol Hamid’s circle adopted a more aggressive position regarding the regime escalation in Zahedan.
Iranian state media reported that Tehran will sell air defense equipment, such as radars and surface-to-air missiles, to Syria.
At least two protests occurred in two cities across two provinces.
The Iranian rial fell to a new record low, valuing at around 540,000 rials to the US dollar.
Supreme Cultural Revolution Council Secretary Abdol Hossein Khosrou Panah called for establishing a cohesive state-run media apparatus to quickly and efficiently promote regime narratives publicly.

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-february-24-2023