Tehran: Two men accused of killing a Basij officer during recent protests in Iran have been executed, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

Basij is one of the five forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite branch of the country's military.

Mohammad Mahdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, the main perpetrators of the crime that led to the death of Ruhollah Ajamian, were hanged this morning, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported citing the press service of the judiciary.

Ajamian was killed on November 3 during riots in northern Iran when a group of men chased and attacked him with knives and stones. In early December, media reported that a court had sentenced five defendants to death for killing the Basij member, and 11 other defendants had been handed lengthy jail terms.

In September, a wave of protests against the current government of Iran broke out throughout the country. Riots were ignited by the reports of the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested by morality police for wearing a hijab improperly. According to social media posts, she was beaten to death by police officers. Government officials have denied all allegations, stating that Amini suffered a heart attack.

The Iranian authorities accuse the US and other Western countries of supporting the riots and calling for the overthrow of the government. Rioters systematically attack the state security forces, including the IRGC, according to Tehran.

(With UNI inputs)