Cleric demanded the death penalty for protesters

A cleric leading on Friday prayers in Iran’s Capital demanded the death penalty for protesters detained in a nationwide crackdown and directly threatened US President Donald Trump, showing the hard-line rage gripping the Islamic Republic after the demonstrations. Cleric Ahmad Khatami’s sermon carried by Iranian state radio sparked chants from those gathered for prayers, including: “Armed hypocrites should be put to death!” Executions, as well as the killing of peaceful protesters, had been two of the red lines laid down by Trump for possible military action against Iran over the protests.

Khatami’s remarks also offered the first nationwide counts of damage done during the demonstrations, which began December 28 over Iran’s ailing economy and soon morphed into demonstrations directly challenging the country’s theocracy.  Iran cut off access to the internet January 8 and intensified a bloody crackdown on all dissent. Khatami, appointed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a member of both the country’s Assembly of Experts and Guardian Council, described the protesters at time as the “butlers” of Netanyahu and “Trump’s soldiers.”