Participating In Protests, 40 Foreign Citizens Arrested By Iranian Authority

JAKARTA - Iranian authorities announced 40 foreign nationals were arrested for involvement in the protests, as Tehran blamed foreign parties for the widespread action to the streets.

Iran was hit by national protests over the death of a Kurdish woman named Mahsa Amini (22) in police custody on September 16, after she was arrested for wearing clothes deemed "inappropriate".

"So far, 40 foreign nationals have been arrested for their involvement in the protests," Iranian Justice Spokesman Masoud Setayeshi told a televised news conference.

However, Masoud Setayeshi did not reveal the citizenship of those arrested.

In September, Tehran said nine Europeans had been arrested for their involvement in the protests.

Tehran blamed foreign enemies and their agents for bailing out the protests, which had turned into an Iranian people's uprising from all walks of life, into the biggest opposition since the 1979 revolution.

As previously reported, about 400 protesters and 50 members of the security forces were killed during protests in Iran in the past two months, triggered by Amini's death. Demonstrators initially called for more women's rights, before demanding better living conditions amid high inflation and shortages of basic necessities.