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The former president has stated he would step in in the Islamic Republic should its authorities kill protesters, leading to cautionary statements from senior Iranian officials that any US intervention would cross a “red line”.

A Public Declaration Fuels Tensions

Via a social media post on recently, the former president said that if Iran were to shoot and kill protesters, the America would “intervene on their behalf”. He further stated, “we are prepared to act,” without detailing what that would involve in reality.

Protests Enter the New Week Amid Financial Strain

Protests in Iran are now in their latest phase, constituting the biggest in recent memory. The ongoing protests were sparked by an steep fall in the country's money on Sunday, with its worth falling to about 1.4m to the US dollar, worsening an existing financial crisis.

Seven people have been reported killed, including a member of the paramilitary organization. Videos circulate showing security forces armed with shotguns, with the noise of discharges present in the background.

National Authorities Deliver Strong Responses

Addressing the statement, a top adviser, counselor for the supreme leader, warned that Iran’s national security were a “non-negotiable limit, not material for online provocations”.

“Any external involvement approaching our national security on pretexts will be cut off with a forceful retaliation,” the official posted.

Another leader, the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council, accused the outside actors of having a hand in the protests, a common refrain by officials when addressing protests.

“Trump must realize that foreign interference in this domestic matter will lead to destabilisation of the whole region and the harm to Washington's stakes,” the official declared. “US citizens must know that Trump is the one that started this adventure, and they should consider the well-being of their military personnel.”

Context of Conflict and Demonstration Nature

Iran has vowed to strike American soldiers based in the region in the before, and in June it attacked a facility in Qatar after the US struck its nuclear facilities.

The current protests have taken place in the capital but have also extended to other urban centers, such as Isfahan. Merchants have gone on strike in protest, and students have taken over university grounds. While financial hardship are the main issue, protesters have also chanted political demands and decried what they said was corruption and mismanagement.

Presidential Response Shifts

The Iranian president, the president, first called for demonstration organizers, adopting a more conciliatory tone than the government did during the earlier demonstrations, which were met with force. The president said that he had ordered the government to listen to the demonstrators' core grievances.

The recent deaths of demonstrators, though, could signal that officials are becoming more forceful against the protests as they persist. A communiqué from the state security apparatus on recently warned that it would take a harsh line against any external involvement or “unrest” in the country.

As the government face protests at home, it has sought to counter allegations from the United States that it is rebuilding its atomic ambitions. Officials has said that it is ceased such work at present and has indicated it is open for negotiations with the west.