Iran on Saturday executed two men convicted of membership in a banned opposition group and carrying out disruptive actions aimed at overthrowing the Islamic Republic, the judiciary said.
The executions were the latest in a series targeting members of the banned People’s Mujahideen of Iran (MEK), after four other convicted members of the group were executed earlier in the week.
They also come against the backdrop of Iran’s war with the United States and Israel, sparked by US-Israeli strikes on February 28 that killed the country’s supreme leader and have since fueled a wider regional conflict.
“Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Baniamerian… were hanged after the trial and their sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court,” the Mizan Online website reported on Saturday.
The men were found guilty of attempting to “insurrection through engaging in multiple acts of terrorism” as well as being members of the MEK group and carrying out acts of sabotage aimed at overthrowing the Islamic Republic.
It was not immediately clear when the men were arrested.
The MEK, which initially supported the Islamic Revolution in 1979 before breaking with the leadership in the 1980s, has since been in exile and designated a terrorist organization by Tehran.
According to human rights organizations, Iran is the second most prolific executioner in the world after China.
It has executed several people since the start of the war, including on Thursday when authorities executed a man convicted of acting on behalf of Israel and the United States during a wave of anti-government protests earlier this year.
On March 19, three others convicted of killing police officers during the protests were also executed.
Also in March, Iran executed Kouroush Keyvani, a dual Iranian-Swedish national, on charges of spying for Israel, prompting condemnation from Stockholm and the European Union.
