US lawmakers gathered on 7 December to approve a bipartisan resolution that affirms greater support for Iranian protesters while condemning Iran’s security apparatus. The resolution also calls on the “international community” to impose stricter and coordinated sanctions against the country.

The resolution was approved by top US lawmakers, such as Senator Bob Menendez, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, and nine other representatives.

“It is my hope that Congressional approval of this bipartisan, bicameral resolution will help amplify the voices of the hundreds of thousands of women and men of Iran who are protesting against the brutality of one of the world’s most repressive regimes,” said Senator Bob Menendez.

The US lawmakers also demanded that the US and its western allies provide greater internet coverage to Iran, citing concerns that Iran has shut down access to various parts of the country.

Other senators supporting the resolution were Bob Casey, Bill Cassidy, Jacky Rosen, Ted Cruz, Kevin Cramer, Ben Cardin, Todd Young, Chris Van Hollen, and Bill Hagerty.

Meanwhile, on 3 December, Iranian Prosecutor General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri confirmed that the country had suspended its “morality police” force following months of unrest and violence.

Montazeri confirmed the suspension of the morality police on 3 December during a speech at an event highlighting the “hybrid war during recent riots,”  in which Iran blamed foreign actors for inciting violent riots and attacks on security forces by separatist groups.

However, Senator Blackburn, who is behind the call for more coordinated sanctions against Iran, claimed the move to abolish the “morality police” force in Iran was “only a facade” to distract the world from the ongoing riots, demanding that the common goal should be to “free Iran of the oppression all together.”

The riots in Iran have been used by state actors and extremist groups to sow further instability in the country.

On 6 December, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry announced that its security forces were able to dismantle several “operational cells” of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MEK) in the provinces of Tehran. The group is a designated terrorist organization by the Iranian government.

According to the statement, authorities arrested ten people linked to “terrorist activities” and several attacks against the administration of the Islamic Republic, including military personnel, and members of the police force, while causing damages to residential buildings.