Iran arrests 14 foreigners, blames “thugs” linked to “foreign enemies” for protests over woman’s death

Iran has arrested 14 foreigners for their alleged involvement in anti-government protests over the recent death of a young woman in police custody. The government blamed the recent protests as being linked to thugs and foreign enemies. American, French, and British citizens were among those arrested, according to Japan Today.

The semi-official Fars news agency, which is believed to be affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, revealed the arrests but didn’t say where and when the arrests were made. The news agency also didn’t cite its source. It also isn’t clear whether the number of new arrests included the nine foreigners who were detained last month for protesting.

“Citizens of 14 countries, including the United States, Russia, Austria, France, the United Kingdom, and Afghanistan, have been arrested in recent riots in Iran, of which Afghan nationals are the most numerous.”

The protests have spread to the entire nation after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in a hospital after being arrested by Iran’s notorious morality police. She was accused of violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women. Rights activists say she suffered a fatal blow to her head and went into a coma just three days after her arrest. But, officials deny any wrongdoing. She died while in a coma, sparking some of the country’s biggest protests since the 1979 revolution. Protesters have called for the downfall of the Islamic Republic, but have had little effect on toppling the system.

Young women and girls have been removing their hijabs, or Islamic headscarves, in standoffs with security forces. But, their attempts at retaliating have left dozens dead, according to human rights groups. Along with the arrests of foreigners, Tehran has accused the US and some European countries of using the civil unrest as a pathway to destabilise the Islamic Republic.