Two gay men were hanged in Iran this week in order to “promote community safety”, it has been reported.

Abdulla Ghavami Chahzanjiru and Salman Ghanbari Chahzanjiri were killed on August 6 for reported “consensual sodomy”, with officials describing the men as immoral villains.

It is currently unknown whether the men were killed due to their sexuality, though at least one Iranian publication is reporting that this was the reason.

A lengthy post on The Daily Beast notes that the executions were carried out just as the US seeks to engage Iran diplomatically, which may cause “an LGBT headache” for the government.

Homosexuality is outlawed in Iran, and is punishable by imprisonment, corporal punishment or execution.

According to NGO Iran Human Rights, over 400 executions have occurred in the first half of 2014.