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STOCKHOLM — The European Union is urging Iran to halt the planned executions of three men who were convicted of crimes they committed as minors.

The Swedish EU presidency says in a statement Tuesday that it is "deeply concerned" by reports of the imminent executions of Behnoud Shojaee, Reza Padashi and Hossein Haghi.

It says the executions would contravene Iran’s commitment to several international conventions, and condemns the "continued widespread occurrence of death sentences and executions" in Iran.

With an estimated 346 executions last year Iran is the world’s second most frequent user of the death penalty overall after China. Amnesty International says Iran executes more juvenile offenders than any other nation.