Ex-President Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran if its government use lethal force against protesters, prompting cautionary statements from senior Iranian officials that any US intervention would overstep a definitive limit.
Through a social media post on Friday, the former president said that if Iran were to fire upon demonstrators, the America would “step in to help”. He noted, “we are prepared to act,” without explaining what that would involve in practice.
Demonstrations across the nation are now in their sixth day, constituting the biggest in recent memory. The ongoing protests were sparked by an sharp drop in the national currency on Sunday, with its value falling to about a record depreciation, intensifying an precarious economic situation.
Several citizens have been reported killed, among them a member of the Basij security force. Footage have shown law enforcement carrying firearms, with the noise of discharges audible in the background.
Addressing Trump’s threat, a top adviser, counselor for the supreme leader, stated that internal matters were a “definitive boundary, not material for adventurist tweets”.
“Any foreign interference targeting our national security on any excuse will be severed with a forceful retaliation,” the official wrote.
Another senior Iranian official, the secretary of Iran’s supreme national security council, accused the foreign powers of being involved in the unrest, a frequent accusation by the government in response to protests.
“Trump must realize that foreign interference in this domestic matter will lead to turmoil in the Middle East and the destruction of American interests,” Larijani stated. “The public must know that Trump is the one that started this adventure, and they should consider the security of their troops.”
Iran has threatened to target US troops stationed in the Middle East in the before, and in recent months 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 spread to other cities, such as a major city. Shopkeepers have closed their stores in solidarity, and activists have taken over campuses. Though economic conditions are the main issue, protesters have also chanted political demands and condemned what they said was graft and poor governance.
The head of state, the president, initially invited demonstration organizers, adopting a softer stance than the government did during the previous unrest, which were violently suppressed. Pezeshkian stated that he had directed the administration to listen to the demonstrators' core grievances.
The recent deaths of demonstrators, though, suggest that the state are taking a harder line as they address the unrest as they persist. A statement from the powerful military force on Monday cautioned that it would take a harsh line against any external involvement or “internal strife” in the country.
As Tehran deal with internal challenges, it has tried to stave off accusations from the US that it is reconstituting its nuclear programme. Tehran has stated that it is no longer enriching uranium anywhere in the country and has signaled it is open for dialogue with the west.
Elara is a financial strategist with over a decade of experience in wealth management and entrepreneurship.
