LONDON: Britain on Wednesday called on Iran to end its detention of dual nationals after seven people with British ties were arrested, using the practice to gain "diplomatic clout" said it shouldn't.

According to a statement released by state media, Iran's Revolutionary Guards detained seven people on Sunday as they attempted to flee the country due to anti-government protests. Some of the seven have dual citizenship.

"We are urgently seeking further information from the Iranian authorities on the reports of those British-Iranian dual nationals," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesperson told reporters.

"We've always said that we will never accept our nationals... being used for diplomatic leverage and we urge the government of Iran to stop its practice of unfairly detaining British and other foreign nationals."

The reported arrests follow unrest triggered by the Sept. 16 death in detention of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian who was arrested for wearing "inappropriate attire" under Iran's strict Islamic dress code for women.

The protests have posed one of the most serious challenges to the Shi'ite Muslim-ruled Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

The main opposition Labour Party in the United Kingdom has asked for new sanctions against organizations and individuals involved in Iran's crackdown on protests.

"The killings and repression carried out by the Iranian regime against courageous Iranian protesters seeking a better future are appalling," Labour's foreign affairs spokesman David Lammy said in a statement.

"Impunity must end."

When asked about the possibility of future sanctions against Iran, a British foreign ministry spokesperson stated that the country had already imposed human rights sanctions on more than 40 Iranian officials as well as the entire "Morality Police" unit.

"We will continue to hold Iran accountable for the shocking violence it has inflicted on its own people," said the spokesperson.