TEHRAN, May 21, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran on Thursday hanged two men convicted of armed rebellion and membership in "separatist terrorist groups", the latest in a string of executions during the Middle East war.

Since the start of the conflict with Israel and the United States in February, Iran has ramped up executions, with many of the convicts hanged over anti-government protests that took place across Iran early this year.

Iran's judiciary said the two men executed Thursday were involved in armed attacks against security forces and assassination plots in western Iran.

"Ramin Zaleh and Karim Maroufpour were hanged for membership in separatist terrorist groups, forming a group with the aim of disrupting the country's security, armed rebellion through the formation of criminal groups, shooting and carrying out assassination attempts," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported.

It was not immediately clear when they were arrested but the judiciary said they had been trained to become "leaders in the unrest".

Iran is the world's second-most prolific executioner after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty.

Since the war broke out, the country has executed a number of people for alleged espionage or on security-related charges.

Earlier this month, Iran hanged a man convicted of selling information to Israeli intelligence. It previously executed an aerospace engineering student on the same charge.