Amidst a period of severe political instability, the Iranian leadership has taken initial steps to ease the information blockade. Security authorities announced that sending SMS text messages within the country is now permitted again. This measure follows a ten-day complete network shutdown imposed after nationwide mass protests erupted. The reactivation of the SMS service allows citizens, among other things, to use online banking again, as this requires two-factor authentication. However, the global internet remains largely blocked.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, commented on the unrest on Saturday, directly blaming the USA and Israel for the violence. He described the protests as an externally controlled 'sedition' and accused US President Donald Trump of personally interfering. Human rights organizations report a devastating toll from the past few weeks: estimates suggest that between 3,000 and 12,000 people were killed by security forces. The regime, however, speaks of armed infiltrators and terrorist groups being responsible for the damage.
In parallel, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced the start of the second phase of a peace plan for the Gaza Strip. The core element is the establishment of a committee composed of Palestinian technocrats led by Ali Shaath. This body is supposed to coordinate reconstruction and take over civil administration while a full demilitarization is sought. Despite an existing ceasefire, residents of the Gaza Strip continue to report daily Israeli attacks. The humanitarian situation remains precarious, as over 80 percent of the infrastructure is considered destroyed.
