DUBAI: Iranian police have arrested 139 foreign nationals in the central province of Yazd for their alleged involvement in recent unrest, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday, without disclosing their nationalities.
Yazd, a predominantly desert province with a population of just over one million, was among several regions affected by renewed protests earlier this year.
The demonstrations, which initially erupted over economic hardship and rapidly took on political dimensions, were met with the harshest security crackdown since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. While official figures place the death toll at 3,117, human rights organizations say the actual number is significantly higher. The U.S.-based group HRANA has reported that nearly 50,000 people have been detained nationwide.
Iranian authorities continue to blame Israel and the United States for instigating and fueling the unrest.
“These foreign individuals played an active role in organizing, inciting, and directing riotous actions, and in some cases were in contact with networks abroad,” Yazd police commander Ahmad Negahban told Tasnim.
Judicial officials have warned of severe punishment for those linked to violence during the protests.
“Those who played a role in this American sedition and supported it will not be spared,” judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said on Tuesday.
Iranian media also reported this week that four foreigners were arrested in Tehran in connection with last month’s unrest, marking a shift from earlier reports that focused mainly on domestic protest organizers.
The arrests come amid heightened security following a 12-day conflict with Israel in June, during which Tehran accused Israeli intelligence networks of operating inside Iran. In the aftermath, Iranian authorities intensified a campaign to deport undocumented foreigners particularly Afghan nationals, who constitute the largest migrant community in the country citing national security concerns.
-WNN Newsroom
