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Twenty-six prisoners were executed in Ghezelhesar Prison and three were executed in Karaj Central Prison, according to Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization (HRNGO).

"The Islamic Republic, by exploiting global attention on its tension with Israel, is currently engaged in mass killing prisoners and intensifying the suppression in Iran,” said HRNGO director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam in a statement on Wednesday.

Of the 29 men executed, 17 were executed for murder charges, seven were on death row for drug-related charges and three on rape charges.

HRNGO also reported that the rights group had received reports of an additional two women being executed on Wednesday but was unable to confirm the report so far.

HRNGO further noted that at least 87 people have been executed in Iran in one month since the presidential elections on July 6. This brings the total number of those executed in 2024 to 338 as of Wednesday.

According to Amnesty International, Iran carried out 853 executions in 2023, marking the highest number in eight years. Amnesty International noted that 64 percent of the executions in 2023 were for crimes that did not warrant the death penalty under international law, including drug-related offences, robbery, and espionage​.

Since the alleged Israeli assassination of Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last week, Iran has threatened to retaliate. Global powers have been intervening to calm tensions as fears rise of an escalation between the two archenemies.

In April, Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel, launching a barrage of 350 missiles, rockets and drones, most of which were intercepted by Israel and a US-led coalition.

However, the threats from Tehran say this retaliatory attack would be far worse, while countries such as the US and Russia have been urging calm.

The French president Emmanuel Macron told Israeli prime minister to avoid a cycle of retaliation, following a similar conversation with the Iranian president Wednesday.

Macron told Netanyahu the "logic of de-escalation "should apply to all parties in the region," according to the official report of the phone conversation.

He also reiterated that France's "absolute urgency" is an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, as well as delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

Iran's official news agency says the country's air defense systems on its eastern borders have been upgraded with new radars and missile interceptors.

The report, published Wednesday by the state-run IRNA, comes amid heightened tensions in the region, following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

The White House press secretary refused to comment on Iran's potential retaliatory attack against Israel, making it clear instead that US policy was to push for de-escalation.

"It's up for Iran to say what it will or will not do," Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday. "They've been very public about what their next steps are going to be in responding (to Haniyeh's killing)."

"What we're going to do is to continue to have conversations with Mideast partners and leaders and urge de-escalation. Our focus is on de-escalating Mideast tensions," she added.

The Biden administration has warned actors in the Middle East to refrain from escalatory moves.

"The message that we are impressing upon everyone in the region is that no party should take any steps to escalate this conflict," the US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday.

"We are in the final stages, hopefully of a ceasefire deal, and escalation has the potential to make every problem the region faces worse," Miller said, calling the current situation "delicate", where "tensions are high".