A cleric leading prayers in Iran's capital has demanded the death penalty for detained protesters, showing the hard-line rage gripping the Islamic Republic. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami's sermon Friday was carried by Iranian state radio and sparked chants from those gathered for prayers. Executions and the killing of peaceful protesters are red lines laid down by Trump for possible military action against Iran. Khatami's remarks also offered the first nationwide counts of damage done during the demonstrations that began Dec. 28 over Iran's ailing economy. Iran cut off access to the internet Jan. 8 and intensified a bloody crackdown on all dissent. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency on Friday put the death toll from the crackdown at 2,797.
