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Ex-President Trump has warned of involvement in Iran should its authorities harm demonstrators, leading to admonishments from senior Iranian officials that any US intervention would overstep a definitive limit.

An Online Declaration Escalates Tensions

In a online statement on Friday, the former president declared that if Iran were to shoot and kill demonstrators, the US would “step in to help”. He noted, “our response is imminent,” without clarifying what that might mean in actual terms.

Protests Enter the New Week Against a Backdrop of Financial Turmoil

Protests in Iran are now in their latest phase, marking the biggest since 2022. The current unrest were catalyzed by an sharp drop in the country's money on recently, with its worth plummeting to about a record depreciation, intensifying an already beleaguered economy.

Multiple individuals have been reported killed, including a member of the Basij security force. Videos reportedly show security forces carrying firearms, with the noise of discharges audible in the video.

Iranian Officials Deliver Strong Rebukes

In response to the statement, Ali Shamkhani, counselor for the supreme leader, warned that the nation's sovereignty were a “red line, not fodder for adventurist tweets”.

“Any intervening hand targeting our national security on pretexts will be met with a swift consequence,” he wrote.

Another senior Iranian official, the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council, accused the US and Israel of having a hand in the unrest, a typical response by the government in response to protests.

“Trump must realize that foreign interference in this domestic matter will lead to turmoil in the entire area and the damage to American interests,” the official wrote. “US citizens must know that the former president is the one that started this adventure, and they should consider the security of their soldiers.”

Background of Conflict and Demonstration Scope

Tehran has vowed to strike foreign forces based in the region in the past, and in recent months it attacked a facility in Qatar after the US struck related infrastructure.

The ongoing demonstrations have been centered in Tehran but have also spread to other urban centers, such as a major city. Business owners have closed their stores in protest, and youth have gathered on campuses. While the currency crisis are the central grievance, protesters have also voiced political demands and criticized what they said was graft and poor governance.

Government Stance Shifts

The head of state, Masoud Pezeshkian, initially invited demonstration organizers, taking a softer stance than the government did during the earlier demonstrations, which were met with force. Pezeshkian stated that he had ordered the administration to listen to the protesters’ “legitimate demands”.

The fatalities of demonstrators, though, may indicate that officials are taking a harder line against the protests as they continue. A statement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps on Monday stated that it would take a harsh line against any external involvement or “internal strife” in the country.

While Iranian authorities deal with internal challenges, it has attempted to refute accusations from the United States that it is reconstituting its atomic ambitions. Officials has said that it is halted enrichment activities anywhere in the country and has indicated it is willing to engage in dialogue with the west.