On December 27, 2009, the religious day of Ashura, protestors managed to surround and neutralize many of the Iranian regime’s special anti-riot units.
According to reports, the IRGC’s paramilitary Bassij battalions and the suppressive State Security Forces (SSF) have increased the number of their patrols in Tehran, focusing in particular around University of Tehran’s surrounding neighbourhoods.
The escalation of security controls by the Iranian regime is also meant to confront popular protests against a plan to lift subsidies.
One report indicates that Ashura battalions of the IRGC, the SSF, and even the transportation system in Tehran, including the bus and metro, are on high alert.