BRUSSELS (AFP) - Sweden - the European Union president - on Sunday condemned recent executions in Iran after the Islamic republic hanged 20 people for drug trafficking over the weekend.

"The presidency strongly condemns the executions in Iran during the past few days, in particular the execution of 20 persons in Iran on July 4 in the city of Karaj," a statement from the EU's Swedish presidency said.

"The presidency continues to call on the Iranian authorities to abolish the death penalty completely and, in the meantime, to establish a moratorium on executions."

The latest hangings bring to at least 161 the number of people executed in the Iran so far this year, according to an AFP count based on news reports. In 2008, Iran executed 246 people, according to that count.

Relations between the EU and Iran have been further strained by Tehran's arrest of nine local British embassy staff on June 28 in the wake of the country's disputed presidential elections.

On Friday, EU member states summoned Iranian ambassadors in their capitals in protest at the detentions.

Sweden took over the EU's six-month rotating presidency from the Czech Republic on Wednesday.