Girl, 13, 'beheaded by dad while asleep' after fleeing home with her 35-year-old 'lover'

A 13-year-old girl was allegedly beheaded by her own father in a brutal 'honour killing' in Iran.

Romina Ashrafi had run away with an older man who she had 'fallen in love with' when her dad is said to have killed her.

The teen, from Talesh county, fled her home with the 35-year-old man, however the pair were caught by the authorities after their families filed complaints.

Romina was returned home, despite 'repeated warnings' that she feared for her life, with her father then allegedly killing her with a sickle on May 21.

He is accused of beheading her while she slept.

The dad then reportedly handed himself in and admitted to the murder, while still holding the blood-soaked weapon.

District Governor Kazem Razmi said an investigation is underway, with the father being held in custody.

Speaking to local media, the governor added that “the details of this case will be made public after the legal process”.

Masoumeh Ebtekar, vice president for women's affairs, has also announced a special probe into the murder, Mail Online reports.

Romina's dad will dodge the death penalty as he was the girl's 'guardian', meaning he cannot face 'retaliation in kind'.

The alleged murder has sparked outrage on social media in Iran as people slammed the country's patriarchal society.

The Persian hastag #Romina_Ashrafi has been trending with more than 50,000 tweets.

In 2014 Hadi Mostafaei, a senior police official, said 'honour killings' constituted 20 per cent of murders in the country.