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The former president has threatened to intervene in Iran if its government harm protesters, leading to warnings from high-ranking figures in Tehran that any American interference would overstep a definitive limit.

An Online Declaration Ignites Diplomatic Strain

In a social media post on Friday, the former president declared that if the country were to fire upon protesters, the America would “intervene on their behalf”. He added, “our response is imminent,” without detailing what that might mean in practice.

Protests Enter the Next Phase Amid Economic Turmoil

Public unrest are now in their latest phase, constituting the biggest in recent memory. The current unrest were triggered by an sharp drop in the national currency on Sunday, with its worth plummeting to about a historic low, intensifying an precarious economic situation.

Several citizens have been confirmed dead, among them a volunteer for the state-affiliated group. Footage have shown law enforcement armed with firearms, with the sound of shooting present in the recordings.

National Authorities Issue Firm Rebukes

In response to Trump’s threat, a top adviser, adviser to the supreme leader, warned that the nation's sovereignty were a “non-negotiable limit, not a subject for online provocations”.

“Any external involvement approaching the country's stability on pretexts will be met with a regret-inducing response,” Shamkhani wrote.

Another senior Iranian official, a key security official, alleged the outside actors of having a hand in the protests, a frequent accusation by the government when addressing domestic dissent.

“Washington needs to know that American involvement in this domestic matter will lead to destabilisation of the whole region and the damage to US assets,” he wrote. “US citizens must know that the former president is the one that started this adventure, and they should consider the security of their military personnel.”

Recent History of Conflict and Demonstration Scale

Tehran has threatened to target American soldiers stationed in the Middle East in the before, and in recent months it launched strikes on Al-Udeid airbase in the Gulf after the American attacks on its nuclear facilities.

The ongoing demonstrations have taken place in Tehran but have also extended to other cities, such as Isfahan. Business owners have gone on strike in protest, and students have gathered on university grounds. While economic conditions are the main issue, demonstrators have also voiced political demands and decried what they said was failures by officials.

Presidential Approach Changes

The Iranian president, the president, first called for representatives, taking a less confrontational approach than authorities did during the earlier demonstrations, which were met with force. The president stated that he had directed the administration to listen to the protesters’ “legitimate demands”.

The fatalities of demonstrators, however, could signal that officials are adopting a tougher stance against the protests as they persist. A communiqué from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps on recently warned that it would respond forcefully against any foreign interference or “internal strife” in the country.

As Tehran grapple with protests at home, it has tried to stave off accusations from the United States that it is rebuilding its nuclear programme. Tehran has stated that it is no longer enriching uranium anywhere in the country and has expressed it is open for talks with the west.