ISW: Ongoing protests could pose major challenges for Iran’s security services

“Iranian regime is using the recent chemical attacks throughout Iran to set conditions to securitize the country ahead of major national holidays,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote on its website, Report informs.

“The combination of ongoing protests and the widespread domestic travel common during the holidays could pose major challenges for the regime’s security services. The regime might also be pursuing a securitized response to the poisonings at this time in order to arrest known protesters and protest organizers. IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency published an article on March 7 claiming that the countrywide poisoning campaign is meant to incite further “riots,” indicating the poisoning campaign might be used as a pretext to crack down on protest groups,” the Institute said.