Iranian executions

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TEHRAN, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Two men were executed in Iran for what Tehran said were attempts to undermine the government.

The men were arrested during demonstrations spawned by discontent over last June's election in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was given a second term.

Protests bloomed immediately after the vote and have surfaced occasionally in the intervening months. The demonstrations were often met with harsh crackdowns by government security forces. Officially nearly three dozen protesters, including eight last month, died in clashes with authorities.

Arrests related to the unrest led to 11 death sentences being handed down, with two carried out by hanging Thursday, state-run media reported.

The government alleged one of the executed men worked with the U.S. military in planning political assassination in Iran as part of the post-election protests.