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Donald Trump has warned of involvement in the Islamic Republic should its regime kill protesters, leading to cautionary statements from senior Iranian officials that any US intervention would overstep a definitive limit.

A Public Declaration Ignites Tensions

In a public declaration on Friday, Trump said that if Iran were to use deadly force against demonstrators, the United States would “intervene on their behalf”. He added, “we are prepared to act,” without explaining what that could entail in practice.

Demonstrations Enter the Sixth Day Amid Economic Crisis

Public unrest are now in their second week, marking the largest since 2022. The present demonstrations were sparked by an unprecedented decline in the Iranian rial on Sunday, with its worth falling to about 1.4m to the US dollar, worsening an already beleaguered economy.

Multiple individuals have been confirmed dead, among them a member of the Basij security force. Videos have shown law enforcement carrying firearms, with the sound of shooting audible in the recordings.

National Officials Deliver Firm Rebukes

Addressing the statement, Ali Shamkhani, counselor for the country's highest authority, warned that internal matters were a “red line, not material for reckless social media posts”.

“Any intervening hand approaching Iran security on pretexts will be met with a forceful retaliation,” Shamkhani wrote.

Another senior Iranian official, Ali Larijani, alleged the US and Israel of being involved in the demonstrations, a common refrain by the government in response to domestic dissent.

“The US should understand that foreign interference in this national affair will lead to turmoil in the whole region and the destruction of Washington's stakes,” the official stated. “The American people must know that the former president is the one that initiated this provocation, and they should pay attention to the safety of their military personnel.”

Recent History of Tensions and Demonstration Scale

Iran has vowed to strike US troops deployed in the Middle East in the past, and in June it attacked Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar after the American attacks on Iranian nuclear enrichment sites.

The current protests have taken place in Tehran but have also reached other cities, such as Isfahan. Shopkeepers have shuttered businesses in solidarity, and students have gathered on university grounds. While the currency crisis are the primary complaint, protesters have also voiced calls for change and decried what they said was graft and poor governance.

Presidential Stance Changes

The nation's leader, the president, first called for protest leaders, adopting a softer stance than authorities did during the 2022 protests, which were put down harshly. The president noted that he had directed the government to listen to the demonstrators' core grievances.

The fatalities of protesters, could, could signal that authorities are adopting a tougher stance against the unrest as they persist. A communiqué from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps on Monday warned that it would respond forcefully against any external involvement or “internal strife” in the country.

While the government deal with domestic dissent, it has sought to counter claims from the US that it is reviving its nuclear programme. Officials has said that it is no longer enriching uranium domestically and has indicated it is ready for negotiations with the west.