An Iranian man who poured acid on a young girl's face should be punished by having his eyes gouged out and his right ear and nose cut off, an Iranian court ruled, according to an opposition group.

The group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said the man was convicted last October of intentionally attacking the girl with acid, causing her to lose her eyesight and right ear.

Last month, another Iranian man was condemned to have one hand and one foot cut off as punishment for an unspecified crime, the state-run Mehr news agency reported.

The national council said that Iran's high court has publicly defended cutting off body parts and removing eyes as part of the country's judicial system.

At least 80 people and perhaps as many as 95 have been executed in Iran this year, a surge in the use of the death penalty that has dampened hopes for human rights reforms under President Hassan Rohani, the United Nations said last month.

Rohani, who won a surprise election last year on a platform of more openness with the West, clinched an interim deal in November with world powers over Iran's nuclear program.

In September, dozens of political prisoners were released, raising hopes that he would also improve human rights.

"There were some encouraging signs last year where political prisoners were released ... But it appears at least in the past seven weeks that in fact executions have been scaled up," UN human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a news briefing.

"We regret that the new government has not changed its approach to the death penalty and continues to impose capital punishment for a wide range of offences. We urge the government to immediately halt executions and to institute a moratorium."

Last year Iran executed between 500 and 625 people, including at least 28 women and two juveniles, Shamdasani said.

