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Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran should its authorities kill protesters, prompting warnings from high-ranking figures in Tehran that any US intervention would violate a critical boundary.

An Online Post Escalates Diplomatic Strain

In a online statement on recently, Trump said that if Iran were to fire upon demonstrators, the US would “intervene on their behalf”. He added, “we are prepared to act,” without explaining what that would involve in practice.

Protests Enter the Sixth Day Against a Backdrop of Financial Crisis

Protests in Iran are now in their second week, marking the biggest in recent memory. The ongoing protests were catalyzed by an steep fall in the national currency on Sunday, with its value dropping to about a historic low, further exacerbating an already beleaguered economy.

Multiple individuals have been reported killed, among them a member of the Basij security force. Footage reportedly show officials carrying shotguns, with the audio of gunfire heard in the video.

National Leaders Deliver Firm Responses

Reacting to the statement, an official, adviser to the country's highest authority, stated that Iran’s national security were a “red line, not a subject for online provocations”.

“Any external involvement nearing Iran security on false pretenses will be severed with a swift consequence,” Shamkhani wrote.

Another leader, the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council, accused the foreign powers of orchestrating the demonstrations, a frequent accusation by the government when addressing protests.

“The US should understand that foreign interference in this domestic matter will lead to instability across the entire area and the damage to Washington's stakes,” Larijani wrote. “The public must know that the former president is the one that started this adventure, and they should be concerned for the safety of their soldiers.”

Background of Tensions and Demonstration Scale

Tehran has vowed to strike US troops stationed in the Middle East in the past, and in recent months it attacked a facility in Qatar following the American attacks on Iranian nuclear enrichment sites.

The ongoing demonstrations have occurred in Tehran but have also extended to other cities, such as a major city. Business owners have gone on strike in solidarity, and activists have taken over university grounds. While the currency crisis are the main issue, demonstrators have also voiced political demands and condemned what they said was failures by officials.

Presidential Response Shifts

The head of state, Masoud Pezeshkian, initially invited representatives, taking a less confrontational approach than authorities did during the earlier demonstrations, which were met with force. Pezeshkian noted that he had directed the government to listen to the protesters’ “legitimate demands”.

The recent deaths of protesters, though, could signal that the state are becoming more forceful against the protests as they persist. A announcement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps on recently stated that it would respond forcefully against any external involvement or “unrest” in the country.

While Iranian authorities deal with internal challenges, it has sought to counter accusations from the United States that it is rebuilding its atomic ambitions. Officials has said that it is ceased such work at present and has expressed it is ready for dialogue with the west.