Washington has criticized the recent wave of executions in Iran saying it is a reminder of the regime’s “penchant” for human rights abuses.

“We condemn these executions....The United States will continue to take appropriate action in accordance with our allies and partners to continue to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its egregious human rights abuses,” said State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel on Monday.

Two Iranian men were executed on Monday for "blasphemy." They were accused of making remarks on a Telegram channel called "Critique of Superstition and Religion."

Yousef Mehrad and Sadrollah Fazeli-Zare' were hanged following the execution of an Iranian-Swedish national with dual citizenship, Habib Farajollah Chaab, who was executed on Saturday.

“The US does not hesitate to take action when it comes to this, specifically targeting some of the human rights atrocities that we have seen take place from the regime in Tehran,” underlined Patel.

There have been relatively few hangings of people convicted of blasphemy in recent years, though the Iranian law permits execution for such offenses.

A report by Amnesty International has found that Iran annually executes more people than any other country except China.

According to Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), in 2022, the Islamic Republic executed 582 people, the highest number since 2015. IHR also reports that 208 people have been executed to date in 2023.