The story: As protests continue in Iran, top officials are talking up dialogue and reforms—but also simultaneously warn that a crackdown on the ongoing unrest will be ramped up. Meanwhile, Iran’s top two intelligence bodies have for the first time issued a joint statement in which they accuse two journalists of being “trained” by foreign powers. The statement has been condemned by a journalists’ guild and prominent pro-reform media outlets. 

The coverage: Protests sparked by the Sept. 16 passing of Mahsa Amini—a young Iranian woman who died in the custody of morality police—have entered their seventh week. 

In their latest reactions to the unrest, conservative President Ebrahim Raisi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf have proposed dialogue and reforms to address protester demands.

• Raisi on Oct. 30 stated that universities are “the best place” to hold dialogue on opposing views—albeit on the “condition” that there is an “appropriate understanding of issues.”
  
  
• On the same day, Parliament Speaker Qalibaf said “acts of terrorism by Iran’s enemies should not become an excuse to ignore a group of people’s protests for reforms.”
  
  
• By “acts of terrorism,” Qalibaf was referring to a deadly attack on a Shiite shrine in Shiraz on Oct. 26 claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

This comes as conservative-controlled outlets—including Tasnim News Agency and the government-run newspaper Iran— blame the IS attack on the protests. Speaking at a memorial...