U.S. says Iranian forces may have killed more than 1,000 protesters
A State Department official said Thursday that 1,000 or more protesters may have been killed during weeks of unrest in Iran and that the United States has received video that shows troops firing machine guns mounted on trucks at protesters in one incident.
Brian Hook, the special representative for Iran, said the Trump administration will ask Congress to impose harsh sanctions on officials responsible for the alleged atrocities and mistreatment of thousands of protesters who have been imprisoned since anti-government demonstrations have convulsed Iran.
Administration officials, meanwhile, said they are considering an increase in the U.S. military’s footprint in the Middle East to counter what they say is an intensified threat from Iran and its armed proxy groups.
Hook gave a harrowing description of the government crackdown, including the torture and rape of captured protesters. [Continue reading…]