The Iranian executioner has been [1] very [2] very [3] busy of late. Chalk up three more.

"Iran: Three hanged in Baluchistan," from [4] AKI:

Tehran, 6 August (AKI) - The recent spate of executions in Iran continued on Monday with the announcement of the hanging of three men in the country's southeastern Baluchistan region.

Abdelaziz Esmailzehi, Abdoljamal Shahbakhsh and Ali Akbar Shahbakhsh were sentenced to death after being found guilty of being moharebeh, or “enemies of Allah”.

The three were hanged in a prison courtyard in Zahedan, the capital of Baluchistan, according to a statement by the local Revolutionary Tribunal.

Iran has carried out more than 150 executions to date this year compared to the 177 for the whole of 2006.

The killings have prompted outrage, especially in some Western nations, with Italy on Friday appealing to Iran to halt executions on humanitarian grounds. Tehran responded by telling Rome it should not interfere in Iran's internal matters.

Crossposted from [5] The American Israeli Patriot.