A spokesman for the human rights group which monitors Iran, reports that during the past two weeks alone, authorities have detained more than 20 students, 17 of whom remain in detention.
These detentions coincided with the anniversary commemorating massive student protests of July 8, 1999.
"After 10 years of repression, the authorities are still not willing to acknowledge the legitimate rights of student activists and their organizations. Recent detentions are evidently orchestrated to silence and intimidate the academic community," the organization said.
Campaign for Human Rights in Iran says that on July 13 security agents raided the homes of Bahareh Hedayat and Mohammad Hashemi, two members of the group, Office to Foster Unity.
The agents conducted a thorough search of the premises that lasted several hours, confiscating their personal belongings. The two were subsequently transferred to section 209 of the notorious Evin prison.
On 21 July the magistrate in charge of their interrogations, Matin Rasekh, announced the charges against Hedayat and Hashemi as "acting against national security."
State-controlled media had earlier reported the charges as "communications with anti-revolutionary groups abroad," but Rasekh denied these charges.
In the northern city of Mashad, security forces detained 12 student activists during the past two weeks, some of whom belong to an ad-hoc committee formed to investigate and report on arbitrary detentions.
"It is ironic that human rights activists trying to follow up on arbitrary detentions are themselves victims of such methods," the rights organization said.
The extent of detentions reaches far beyond Tehran and Mashad and includes universities in Tabriz and Zanjan.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran called on the Iranian judiciary and the intelligence services to release all detainees and end the persecution and prosecution of student activists.
"Iranian universities are today in grip of a serious crisis following years of oppressive policies and denial of basic academic rights," the human rights group said, adding "The authorities must recognize that their repressive policies will only exacerbate this ongoing crisis. Rather than persecuting innocent students, they should engage with student organizations and let them be partners in solving the problems facing the academic community."