The country remains the world’s second-highest executioner after China, according to human rights organisations such as Amnesty International.

The Iranian government on Saturday executed three men in the northern part of the country after they were convicted of rape, the country’s judiciary has confirmed.

“The death sentences of three men convicted of rape were carried out this morning in the prison of the northern city of Gorgan,” local judiciary chief, Heydar Asiabi, was quoted as saying by the judiciary’s Mizan Online news website.

In Iran, both rape and murder are crimes punishable by death. 

The country remains the world’s second-highest executioner after China, according to human rights organisations such as Amnesty International.

“The three-member gang was quickly arrested after three women reported a rape,” Asiabi said, without providing further details.

Executions in the Islamic Republic are generally carried out by hanging at dawn.

While most executions in Iran take place within prison walls, authorities earlier this month carried out a rare public hanging in the northwest. The man was convicted of raping and murdering a young girl, a case that drew widespread outrage across the country.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had also declared that Iran is no longer scared of the United States, stating that instead, the US is afraid of it.

In a statement posted on his X handle on Wednesday, Khamenei said: "The US attacked Iran, and our retaliatory strike against it was very significant. God willing, once censorship is removed, it will become clear what Iran has truly done."

He emphasised that Iran entered the conflict from a position of strength, asserting that Israel’s decision to seek help from Washington proved its vulnerability.

"We entered the war with strength. The proof for this is that the Zionist regime was compelled to turn to the US for help. If it had been capable of defending itself, it wouldn’t have turned to the US like that. It turned to the US for help," he said.

While reiterating Iran’s longstanding position on Israel and the United States, Khamenei said Tehran had not been the aggressor, noting, "Yes, we consider the Zionist regime to be like cancer, and we believe the US regime is a criminal for backing it. However, we weren’t seeking a war. But when the enemy attacked, our response was crushing."