The protests, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini after her arrest for "inappropriate attire", pose one of the strongest challenges to the country's clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

"We have specific information proving that the U.S., Western countries and some of the American allies have had a role in the protests," ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani added.

(Reporting by Elwely Elwelly, Editing by William Maclean)