Two convicted drug traffickers have been hanged in a prison in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz, the Fars news agency reported on Sunday.









The men, who were only identified by their initials, were hanged in the city's main jail, the agency reported without saying when the executions were carried out.



The latest hangings bring the number of executions in Iran to at least 136 so far this year, according to an AFP count based on media reports. At least 270 people were hanged in 2009.



Iran is one of the leading countries that carry out the death penalty each year, along with China, Saudi Arabia and the United States.



The Islamic republic says the death penalty is essential to maintain public security and is applied only after exhaustive judicial proceedings.



Murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and adultery are all punishable by death in Iran.





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