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The former president has stated he would step in in the Islamic Republic should its authorities harm demonstrators, prompting admonishments from senior Iranian officials that any US intervention would cross a “red line”.

A Social Media Post Fuels Diplomatic Strain

In a public declaration on Friday, the former president said that if Iran were to fire upon protesters, the US would “intervene on their behalf”. He further stated, “we are locked and loaded, and ready to go,” without explaining what that could entail in actual terms.

Protests Continue into the Sixth Day Against a Backdrop of Economic Strain

Public unrest are now in their latest phase, marking the largest since 2022. The ongoing protests were sparked by an steep fall in the country's money on recently, with its worth falling to about a record depreciation, further exacerbating an existing financial crisis.

Multiple individuals have been reported killed, including a volunteer for the Basij security force. Recordings reportedly show law enforcement armed with shotguns, with the sound of shooting heard in the video.

Tehran's Authorities Deliver Stark Warnings

Reacting to Trump’s threat, Ali Shamkhani, adviser to the country's highest authority, warned that the nation's sovereignty were a “definitive boundary, not a subject for adventurist tweets”.

“Any intervening hand nearing our national security on pretexts will be met with a regret-inducing response,” the official wrote.

Another leader, Ali Larijani, accused the outside actors of having a hand in the demonstrations, a common refrain by Tehran in response to domestic dissent.

“Trump must realize that American involvement in this internal issue will lead to instability across the entire area and the destruction of Washington's stakes,” Larijani wrote. “US citizens must know that Trump is the one that began this escalation, and they should pay attention to the well-being of their troops.”

Recent History of Conflict and Demonstration Scale

Tehran 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 US struck its nuclear facilities.

The ongoing demonstrations have been centered in Tehran but have also extended to other cities, such as Isfahan. Merchants have closed their stores in protest, and students have gathered on campuses. While economic conditions are the central grievance, protesters have also voiced political demands and condemned what they said was failures by officials.

Official Stance Shifts

The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, initially invited representatives, adopting a more conciliatory tone than the government did during the earlier demonstrations, which were violently suppressed. He noted that he had instructed the government to listen to the protesters’ “legitimate demands”.

The fatalities of demonstrators, though, suggest that authorities are becoming more forceful against the unrest as they persist. A statement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps on Monday cautioned that it would act decisively against any outside meddling or “sedition” in the country.

While the government face protests at home, it has sought to counter allegations from the United States that it is reviving its atomic ambitions. Tehran has claimed that it is halted enrichment activities anywhere in the country and has indicated it is open for negotiations with the west.