Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 3, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 3, 2026
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Iranian police arrested 139 foreigners in Yazd amid protests. Authorities claim foreign influence in the unrest, with severe consequences for those involved.
DUBAI, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Iranian police said 139 foreign nationals have so far been arrested in the central province of Yazd for their participation in recent protests, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday, without specifying their nationalities.
Yazd, a predominantly desert province with a relatively small population above 1 million, was one of many provinces affected by nationwide protests in January.
The protests, which started in December over economic hardships and quickly turned political, were repressed in the most violent crackdown since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The official death toll stands at 3,117, although rights groups say many more people have been killed. U.S.-based rights group HRANA has said that nearly 50,000 people have so far been arrested.
Authorities blame Israel and the United States for fomenting the violence.
"These (foreign) individuals played an active role in organising, inciting, and directing riotous actions, and in some cases were in contact with networks abroad," Yazd's police commander Ahmad Negahban was quoted as saying by Tasnim.
Judicial authorities have warned of severe consequences for unrest-linked detainees who committed violent acts.
"Those who played a role in this American sedition and supported it will not be spared," Iran's judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said on Tuesday.
Iranian media reported on Monday the arrest of four foreigners in Tehran over last month's unrest, a shift from earlier reports announcing daily arrests of suspected protest ringleaders without pointing to foreign nationals.
Following a 12-day war in June in which Israel relied on agents within Iran for its early offensive, Tehran accelerated a campaign to deport mainly Afghan nationals, who represent the largest foreign community in the country.
(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
A financial crisis is a situation where financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value, often leading to severe disruptions in financial markets and institutions.
Foreign currency refers to the money that is used in other countries, which is different from the currency of one's own country. It is often exchanged for trade or travel.
Economic growth is the increase in the production of goods and services in an economy over a period of time, typically measured by the rise in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Human capital refers to the economic value of the skills, knowledge, and experience possessed by an individual or workforce, which can enhance productivity and economic growth.
An international financial institution is an organization that provides financial and technical assistance to countries for development projects, often aimed at reducing poverty and promoting economic growth.
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