US says Iran protest toll may surpass 1,000, mulls troops

The United States said Thursday that Iranian authorities may have killed more than 1,000 people in a crackdown on demonstrations, which Washington cast as the clerical regime's worst-ever internal challenge.The damning account came as the US put new pressure in the region on its arch-enemy, with an official saying the Pentagon was considering sending 5,000 to 7,000 more troops."It appears the regime could have murdered over 1,000 Iranian citizens since the protests began," Brian Hook, the US poi