Iran hangs three convicted of bomb attacks: Report

Tehran, Dec 21: Iran has executed three men convicted of participating in a string of deadly bombings in the southwestern city of Ahvaz last year, government newspaper Iran reported today.

Ahvaz is the capital of Khuzestan, the heartland of Iran's oil industry, which has been simmering with unrest among the province's mostly Arab population for more than a year.

Iran has blamed Britain, which has troops close by in Iraq, for fomenting the instability. Britain denies the charge.

The three men hanged yesterday had been convicted of placing bombs outside the governor's office and a bank. They were among a group of 10 convicted of participating in the bomb attacks, Iran said.

Five people were killed during several days of anti-government protests in Khuzestan in April last year and 21 have been killed in three separate bomb attacks since then.

Iran hanged two men in Ahvaz in March after they were convicted of a bombing that killed six people last October.

Slightly more than half of Iran's are 69 million people are Persians and the rest are ethnic Azeris, Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, Baluchis and Lors. About three percent are Arabs and authorities are sensitive about protests and discontent in the southwestern Arab territories where most of the oil industry is based.

Reuters