London: A new law in Iran could result in the organs of convicts on death row being pre-sold to buyers if the prisoners agree before their executions.

Reports suggested that under Ebrahim Raeesi, the new head of the Iranian judiciary, an article in the criminal justice laws has been included which says: "If a convict voluntarily offers his or her organ before or after execution and no medical obstacle is offered, then the judge can approve this in co-ordination with the ministry of justice and the coroners' office."

Iran looks set to allow organs to be harvested from executed prisoners. Credit:AP

Iran's Association of Surgeons has strongly condemned the move, describing it as "extremely worrying, damaging to our profession and the prestige of Iran in the eyes of the civilised world".

Professor Ali Jafarian of the liver transplant unit at Khomeini hospital in Tehran, who is also a member of the American Society of Transplantation, told the semi-official ISNA news agency that no specialist surgeon in Iran would be prepared to follow the law as "it is immoral and against all the values of our profession".