Iranian state TV acknowledges high death toll from protests

Dubai (AP): Iranian state television on Tuesday offered the first official acknowledgment of the high death toll from a crackdown on nationwide protests, saying the country had “a lot of martyrs.”

The report quoted Ahmad Mousavi, the head of the Martyrs Foundation.

The anchor read a statement that said that “armed and terrorist groups" led the country "to present a lot of martyrs to God.”

The acknowledgment came after activists said the death toll had surpassed 2,000.