The Iranian Revolutionary Guard arrests dual British and Iranian nationals over the protests

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DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards arrested seven people with links to Britain on Sunday, including some with dual citizenship, in connection with anti-government protests that rocked the country, a statement carried by state media said.

“Seven leaders of the recent UK-related protests have been detained by the IRGC’s intelligence services, including dual nationals who were trying to leave the country,” the statement said.

The British Foreign Office said it was seeking more information from the Iranian authorities about reports of the detention of dual British-Iranian nationals in Iran.

The reported arrests follow unrest sparked by the killing of Mohsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, who was arrested on September 16 for wearing “indecent clothing” under Iran’s strict Islamic dress code for women.

The protests, in which demonstrators from all walks of life have called for the fall of Iran’s ruling clerical regime, have posed one of the biggest challenges to the Shiite-ruled Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

The government has blamed the unrest on protesters bent on destroying public property and says they have been trained and armed by enemies including the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

(covering Al-Waili Al-Wali) in Dubai. Additional reporting by Sachin Ravikumar in London; Editing by Emilia Sithole Mataris and Peter Graff

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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