Niece of supreme leader asks world to cut ties with Iran

Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — The niece of Iran’s supreme leader is calling for people to pressure their governments to cut ties with Tehran. Farideh Moradkhani, whose uncle is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued the call in a video statement circulated after her Nov. 23 arrest, reported by the U.S.-based rights monitor HRANA. Moradkhani is a long-time activist and the closest member of the supreme leader’s family to be arrested. The branch of the family has opposed Khamenei for decades and Moradkhani has been imprisoned on previous occasions for her activism. The protests were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody and have morphed into the most serious challenge to Iran’s establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.