Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros Unseats Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado Democratic Primary 
DHS Investigates Cyber Breach in Homeland Security Information-Sharing Network 
US Envoy Urges Taiwan to Build ‘Hornet’s Nest’ Drone Defense Against China 
Trump Prioritizes Iran Diplomacy Over Military Action as Nuclear Talks Continue 
OpenAI Proposes 5% U.S. Government Stake Amid AI Policy Talks 
Trump Dedicates Theodore Roosevelt Museum, Unveils New Air Force One Ahead of America’s 250th Anniversary 
Trump Administration to Launch Voluntary AI Standards for Frontier Models 
Russia’s Deadly Kyiv Missile and Drone Attack Kills 27 as Zelensky Urges Faster Air Defense Support 
UN Chief Urges Nations to Close $100 Million UNRWA Funding Gap 
Ukraine War: Russian Drone Attack Sparks Hotel Fire in Central Kyiv 
Taiwan Simulates Chinese Blockade and Invasion in Major Civil Defense Drill 
Trump Administration Declines USMCA Renewal, Opens Talks on New Trade Changes 
US Resumes Dollar Shipments to Iraq After Months-Long Suspension 
JD Vance Criticizes Vatican on Immigration, Defends Trump Border Policies 
U.S. Military Expands Venezuela Earthquake Relief Mission as Troop Presence Tops 900 
EU Chip Industry Faces Growing Risks From China Export Controls and U.S. Technology Dependence: Report 
US-Iran Doha Talks Show Limited Progress as Hormuz Shipping Remains Key Focus 
The sister of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has condemned her brother’s crackdown on the ongoing protests in the country. The sister has also called on the country’s Revolutionary Guards to stand down and disarm.
Khamenei’s sister, Badri Hosseini Khamenei, who is living in Iran, criticized the clerical rulers of the country from the start of the Islamic Republic’s rule under its founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to her brother’s regime. The letter was published by her son Mahmoud Moradkhani who is based in France, dated December 2022.
“I think it is appropriate now to declare that I oppose my brother’s actions and I express my sympathy with all mothers mourning the crimes of the Islamic Republic, from the time of Khomeini to the current era of the despotic caliphate of Ali Khamenei,” wrote the sister of the Iranian leader.
“Ali Khamenei’s Revolutionary Guards and mercenaries should lay down their weapons as soon as possible and join the people before it’s too late,” said the letter.
The letter follows the plea by her daughter, Khamenei’s activist niece Farideh Moradkhani, in a video message back in November calling on foreign governments to isolate Tehran by cutting diplomatic ties. Moradkhani was arrested by authorities at the time the video was shared on social media.
Protests erupted across the country following the death of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini back in September. Amini died days after she was arrested by the country’s morality police for allegedly flouting the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code on women. The widespread protests have been the biggest show of opposition to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 Revolution.
Women and students played a major role in the demonstrations, calling for the end of the clerical regime.
Khamenei on Tuesday called for an overhaul of the country’s cultural system amidst the ongoing protests that have persisted despite warnings and attempts by security forces, including the Guards, to crack down on the demonstrations. Khamenei said that revolutionizing the country’s cultural system must be done during a meeting with the state cultural council.
“The supreme council should observe the weaknesses of culture in different fields of the country,” said Khamenei.
