Iran announced on Tuesday that forty foreigners were arrested for their participation in ongoing protests over the death of an Iranian woman in police custody.

"Forty foreign nationals have been arrested so far for their participation in the protests," Iran's judiciary spokesman Masoud Setayeshi said at a televised news conference, according to IRNA.

He did not, however, elaborate on their nationalities.

Since September, Iran has been rocked by widespread protests over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran's morality police.

More than a dozen police officers and members of the paramilitary Basiji forces have been killed in a string of attacks by armed protesters on security personnel across the nation.

Iranian authorities have blamed Western nations, specifically the United States, for inciting unrest in the country.

In preliminary verdicts, six individuals have been sentenced to death by a court in Tehran, while many others have been given prison terms ranging from 5 to 10 years.