Donald Trump has stated he would step in in Iran should its government use lethal force against protesters, prompting warnings from senior Iranian officials that any US intervention would cross a “red line”.
In a online statement on Friday, Trump stated that if Iran were to fire upon protesters, the US would “intervene on their behalf”. He added, “we are locked and loaded, and ready to go,” without clarifying what that might mean in actual terms.
Demonstrations across the nation are now in their second week, representing the most significant since 2022. The current unrest were sparked by an sharp drop in the Iranian rial on Sunday, with its worth falling to about 1.4m to the US dollar, intensifying an existing financial crisis.
Seven people have been reported killed, including a volunteer for the state-affiliated group. Recordings have shown officials carrying firearms, with the sound of shooting audible in the video.
Reacting to Trump’s threat, a top adviser, counselor for the country's highest authority, cautioned that Iran’s national security were a “red line, not a subject for reckless social media posts”.
“Any intervening hand targeting the country's stability on any excuse will be met with a swift consequence,” Shamkhani said.
Another leader, Ali Larijani, accused the foreign powers of being involved in the protests, a typical response by officials in response to domestic dissent.
“Washington needs to know that American involvement in this domestic matter will lead to instability across the whole region and the destruction of Washington's stakes,” the official declared. “The public must know that the former president is the one that initiated this provocation, and they should pay attention to the security of their soldiers.”
Tehran has vowed to strike American soldiers based in the Middle East in the past, and in recent months it attacked a facility in Qatar following the US struck Iranian nuclear enrichment sites.
The present unrest have been centered in the capital but have also extended to other cities, such as a major city. Business owners have shuttered businesses in protest, and youth have gathered on university grounds. Though the currency crisis are the primary complaint, protesters have also voiced calls for change and decried what they said was corruption and mismanagement.
The head of state, Masoud Pezeshkian, first called for demonstration organizers, taking a softer stance than authorities did during the previous unrest, which were met with force. He noted that he had directed the government to listen to the protesters’ “legitimate demands”.
The recent deaths of demonstrators, though, could signal that the state are taking a harder line against the unrest as they continue. A communiqué from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps on Monday cautioned that it would act decisively against any foreign interference or “unrest” in the country.
As Tehran deal with internal challenges, it has tried to stave off allegations from the US that it is reconstituting its nuclear activities. Iran has stated that it is ceased such work anywhere in the country and has expressed it is open for dialogue with the west.
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