Iranian officials say a man fatally shot two prominent hard-line judges in Tehran, both of whom allegedly took part in the mass execution of dissidents in 1988.

And in August 2005, renowned Iranian judge Hassan Moghaddas was murdered by two gunmen who climbed into his car in the middle of a busy business district in Tehran. Two men convicted over his killing were publicly executed by hanging two years later.

The two judges, Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini, dealt with sensitive cases, a spokesman said. Moghiseh was known to handle death penalty cases for activists.