40 foreign nationals were arrested in Iran on suspicion of inciting the protests that swept the country over the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, Reuters reported, citing a spokesman for the justice authorities in the Middle Eastern country, BTA reported.

Amini died on September 16 after being arrested by the morality police for improperly wearing a hijab.

The tragic case became a reason for protests throughout the country, and according to Tehran, "foreign advisers" were involved in inciting them.

"So far, 40 foreign citizens have been detained for sympathizing with the protests," Iranian spokesman Masoud Setayeshi said at a briefing.

In September, Tehran announced that law enforcement had detained nine Europeans in connection with the protests.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights today described the situation in Iran as "critical".

"We call on the authorities to respond to people's demands for equality, dignity and rights, instead of using unnecessary or disproportionate force to quell protests," Volker Türk told a briefing in Geneva.

A protest march in the capital in support of human rights in Iran