Senior Iranian cleric calls for protester executions in defiance of Trump claims

Hardline Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami is not alone among regime voices calling for harsh response to unrest, say rights groupsA senior Iranian cleric has demanded the execution of protesters after a brutal crackdown raised the death toll in Iran and quelled the nationwide protest movement.In a sermon on Friday, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami railed against demonstrators, saying “armed hypocrites should be put to death”. He described protesters as “butlers” and “soldiers” of Israel and the US, vowing that neither country should “expect peace”. Continue reading...