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Ex-President Trump has threatened to intervene in the Islamic Republic if its authorities use lethal force against protesters, leading to warnings from senior Iranian officials that any involvement from Washington would violate a critical boundary.

An Online Declaration Escalates Tensions

In a public declaration on Friday, the former president said that if the country were to shoot and kill protesters, the United States would “step in to help”. He added, “we are prepared to act,” without clarifying what that would involve in actual terms.

Demonstrations Enter the Sixth Day Amid Financial Crisis

Public unrest are now in their second week, marking the biggest in several years. The current unrest were catalyzed by an steep fall in the Iranian rial on recently, with its value falling to about a record depreciation, further exacerbating an existing financial crisis.

Multiple individuals have been confirmed dead, among them a member of the Basij security force. Videos circulate showing law enforcement armed with firearms, with the audio of gunfire audible in the background.

Iranian Leaders Issue Stark Responses

Reacting to the intervention warning, an official, counselor for the supreme leader, cautioned that the nation's sovereignty were a “red line, not material for adventurist tweets”.

“Any intervening hand approaching the country's stability on any excuse will be severed with a regret-inducing response,” he wrote.

A separate high-ranking figure, Ali Larijani, alleged the foreign powers of orchestrating the unrest, a typical response by the government when addressing domestic dissent.

“Washington needs to know that American involvement in this national affair will lead to destabilisation of the whole region and the damage to US assets,” he wrote. “The public must know that Trump is the one that started this adventure, and they should pay attention to the security of their military personnel.”

Background of Tensions and Demonstration Scale

Tehran has vowed to strike US troops stationed in the region in the past, and in recent months it launched strikes on a facility in the Gulf following the US struck its nuclear facilities.

The ongoing demonstrations have taken place in the capital but have also reached other cities, such as Isfahan. Merchants have gone on strike in solidarity, and activists have taken over campuses. Though economic conditions are the central grievance, protesters have also voiced anti-government slogans and condemned what they said was graft and poor governance.

Presidential Response Changes

The nation's leader, the president, first called for demonstration organizers, taking a less confrontational approach than the government did during the 2022 protests, which were violently suppressed. He stated that he had instructed the government to listen to the protesters’ “legitimate demands”.

The loss of life of protesters, however, suggest that authorities are adopting a tougher stance against the unrest as they persist. A communiqué from the state security apparatus on recently warned that it would respond forcefully against any outside meddling or “unrest” in the country.

While Iranian authorities face domestic dissent, it has attempted to refute allegations from the US that it is reconstituting its atomic ambitions. Officials has claimed that it is halted enrichment activities anywhere in the country and has signaled it is willing to engage in talks with the west.