The US Treasury Department says the move targeted Iran and Turkey-based individuals, a company affiliated with the IRGC-Quds Force and two senior officials of the IRGC's Intelligence Organization involved.

Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programmes in the Middle East, says its weapons are capable of reaching Israel and US bases in the region.

The allegation by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant came as tensions between the regional foes surge afresh over Iran's nuclear drive and support for Palestinian and Lebanese militias.

Iran denies that confessions are extracted under torture.

While the Islamic republic's law permits executions for blasphemy, hangings of people convicted of such charges have been relatively rare in recent years.

Tehran has been a key ally to Damascus throughout Syria's war, offering vital economic and military assistance that has helped the Syrian government claw back most of the territory it lost at the start of the conflict.

The visit comes just weeks after Iran's landmark agreement to restore ties with regional rival Saudi Arabia and amid a flurry of diplomacy in the Middle East as regional relations with Iran and Syria shift.

The methods combine use of security cameras with denial of state services to violators, replacing the morality police whose actions were the flashpoint for the months of unrest.

A major factor in his impeachment was the rising price of domestically manufactured vehicles after foreign imports dried up because of sanctions over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

It also cites mischievousness and mass hysteria among students.

The attack is believed to be the most significant in years against a cleric in Iran.

They say removing hijab 'is considered a crime', and that they 'deal with social anomalies within the framework of the law'.