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The former president has threatened to intervene in the Islamic Republic should its government kill protesters, prompting cautionary statements from senior Iranian officials that any US intervention would cross a “red line”.

An Online Post Ignites Tensions

In a social media post on recently, the former president declared that if Iran were to fire upon protesters, the America would “come to their rescue”. He noted, “we are prepared to act,” without explaining what that might mean in practice.

Protests Enter the Next Phase Against a Backdrop of Economic Crisis

Protests in Iran are now in their sixth day, marking the largest in recent memory. The present demonstrations were sparked by an sharp drop in the national currency on Sunday, with its value dropping to about a record depreciation, further exacerbating an existing financial crisis.

Seven people have been lost their lives, among them a member of the Basij security force. Footage circulate showing law enforcement carrying shotguns, with the noise of discharges present in the recordings.

National Officials Deliver Stark Warnings

Reacting to the intervention warning, a top adviser, adviser to the country's highest authority, warned that Iran’s national security were a “red line, not a subject for adventurist tweets”.

“Any external involvement approaching our national security on any excuse will be cut off with a forceful retaliation,” he posted.

A separate high-ranking figure, Ali Larijani, alleged the US and Israel of orchestrating the protests, a common refrain by Tehran in response to domestic dissent.

“Trump must realize that foreign interference in this internal issue will lead to destabilisation of the whole region and the damage to US assets,” Larijani declared. “The public must know that Trump is the one that began this escalation, and they should consider the well-being of their troops.”

Context of Strain and Protest Nature

Iran has threatened to target American soldiers based in the region in the before, and in recent months it attacked Al-Udeid airbase in the Gulf following the US struck related infrastructure.

The current protests have been centered in the capital but have also spread to other cities, such as Isfahan. Business owners have closed their stores in solidarity, and activists have taken over university grounds. While the currency crisis are the main issue, demonstrators have also chanted calls for change and criticized what they said was graft and poor governance.

Government Response Shifts

The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, offered talks with protest leaders, taking a less confrontational approach than the government did during the previous unrest, which were met with force. He said that he had ordered the administration to listen to the demonstrators' core grievances.

The fatalities of protesters, could, may indicate that the state are adopting a tougher stance against the unrest as they continue. A statement from the state security apparatus on Monday cautioned that it would respond forcefully against any foreign interference or “internal strife” in the country.

As Iranian authorities deal with protests at home, it has sought to counter claims from the US that it is rebuilding its atomic ambitions. Tehran has claimed that it is halted enrichment activities anywhere in the country and has signaled it is ready for negotiations with the west.