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The former president has stated he would step in in the Islamic Republic should its regime kill protesters, prompting cautionary statements from high-ranking figures in Tehran that any US intervention would violate a critical boundary.

A Social Media Post Escalates Tensions

Via a social media post on Friday, Trump stated that if Iran were to use deadly force against demonstrators, the America would “come to their rescue”. He noted, “we are locked and loaded, and ready to go,” without detailing what that could entail in reality.

Demonstrations Enter the Next Phase Amid Financial Crisis

Public unrest are now in their sixth day, representing the biggest in several years. The ongoing protests were catalyzed by an steep fall in the national currency on Sunday, with its worth falling to about 1.4m to the US dollar, intensifying an already beleaguered economy.

Multiple individuals have been lost their lives, including a volunteer for the Basij security force. Footage have shown officials carrying shotguns, with the sound of shooting heard in the recordings.

Iranian Leaders Deliver Strong Warnings

Addressing the intervention warning, an official, counselor for the country's highest authority, warned that the nation's sovereignty were a “non-negotiable limit, not material for adventurist tweets”.

“Any external involvement nearing Iran security on false pretenses will be met with a swift consequence,” Shamkhani posted.

A separate high-ranking figure, the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council, alleged the US and Israel of orchestrating the demonstrations, a common refrain by Tehran when addressing protests.

“The US should understand that foreign interference in this national affair will lead to instability across the whole region and the damage to US assets,” Larijani wrote. “The public must know that Trump is the one that started this adventure, and they should pay attention to the well-being of their troops.”

Background of Strain and Demonstration Scope

Tehran has threatened to target foreign forces stationed in the region in the before, and in recent months it launched strikes on Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar after the American attacks on related infrastructure.

The current protests have been centered in Tehran but have also extended to other urban centers, such as Isfahan. Shopkeepers have closed their stores in protest, and youth have taken over university grounds. Though the currency crisis are the central grievance, protesters have also chanted anti-government slogans and decried what they said was graft and poor governance.

Official Response Changes

The Iranian president, the president, initially invited demonstration organizers, adopting a softer stance than authorities did during the earlier demonstrations, which were violently suppressed. Pezeshkian noted that he had instructed the administration to listen to the demonstrators' core grievances.

The loss of life of protesters, could, could signal that authorities are taking a harder line against the unrest as they continue. A communiqué from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps on recently warned that it would act decisively against any foreign interference or “internal strife” in the country.

While Tehran grapple with protests at home, it has sought to counter allegations from the US that it is rebuilding its nuclear activities. Officials has claimed that it is no longer enriching uranium at present and has expressed it is willing to engage in talks with the west.