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The former president has warned of involvement in the Islamic Republic if its government harm protesters, leading to warnings from Iran's leadership that any involvement from Washington would cross a “red line”.

An Online Post Ignites Tensions

Through a social media post on Friday, Trump declared that if the country were to use deadly force against protesters, the US would “step in to help”. He noted, “we are prepared to act,” without clarifying what that might mean in practice.

Unrest Continue into the Next Phase Against a Backdrop of Economic Turmoil

Demonstrations across the nation are now in their sixth day, marking the largest in recent memory. The current unrest were catalyzed by an unprecedented decline in the national currency on Sunday, with its value plummeting to about 1.4m to the US dollar, intensifying an existing financial crisis.

Several citizens have been reported killed, among them a volunteer for the Basij security force. Footage reportedly show security forces armed with shotguns, with the sound of shooting heard in the background.

National Authorities Issue Stark Responses

Addressing the intervention warning, Ali Shamkhani, counselor for the country's highest authority, stated that the nation's sovereignty were a “non-negotiable limit, not fodder for adventurist tweets”.

“Any external involvement nearing our national security on any excuse will be severed with a swift consequence,” the official said.

Another leader, Ali Larijani, claimed the US and Israel of orchestrating the protests, a common refrain by the government in response to domestic dissent.

“Washington needs to know that US intervention in this domestic matter will lead to instability across the whole region and the destruction of American interests,” the official declared. “US citizens must know that the former president is the one that started this adventure, and they should consider the safety of their troops.”

Context of Strain and Demonstration Scale

Iran has vowed to strike foreign forces based in the Middle East in the past, and in June it attacked a facility in the Gulf after the American attacks on Iranian nuclear enrichment sites.

The present unrest have taken place in Tehran but have also reached other cities, such as Isfahan. Business owners have gone on strike in solidarity, and students have gathered on campuses. While the currency crisis are the main issue, protesters have also chanted political demands and condemned what they said was failures by officials.

Government Approach Changes

The head of state, the president, first called for demonstration organizers, adopting a softer stance than the government did during the earlier demonstrations, which were met with force. The president stated that he had ordered the government to listen to the protesters’ “legitimate demands”.

The fatalities of protesters, though, could signal that officials are becoming more forceful as they address the unrest as they continue. A statement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps on recently cautioned that it would act decisively against any foreign interference or “unrest” in the country.

While the government grapple with protests at home, it has sought to counter accusations from the United States that it is reconstituting its atomic ambitions. Iran has claimed that it is ceased such work anywhere in the country and has expressed it is willing to engage in negotiations with the west.