Jan 19 (Reuters) – Three U.S. Catholic archbishops on Monday decried the direction of American foreign policy, saying the country’s “moral role in confronting evil around the world” was in question and that military action must only be used as an extreme last resort.

“In 2026, the United States has entered into the most profound and searing debate about the moral foundation for America’s actions in the world since the end of the Cold War,” the three highest-ranking U.S. Catholic archbishops said in a rare joint statement.

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“The events in Venezuela, Ukraine and Greenland have raised basic questions about the use of military force and the meaning of peace,” the clerics said.

The joint statement did not directly name Trump. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Saying that the U.S. needs a “genuinely moral foreign policy,” the archbishops renounced “war as an instrument for narrow national interests” and said that “military action must be seen only as a last resort in extreme situations, not a normal instrument of national policy.”

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A young soldier who refused to obey orders to shoot protesters during one of Iran’s most intense waves of nationwide unrest has been sentenced to death, a human rights group reported Tuesday.

The Iran Human Rights Society (IHRS) identified the soldier as Javid Khales, who was arrested during the nationwide protests of 1404, a major wave of anti-regime demonstrations from late 2025 to early 2026 calling for an end to the country’s current dictatorship.

“According to informed sources, when faced with the command to shoot at protesting people, he refused to execute the order, leading to his immediate arrest and the opening of a case against him,” IHRS said.

Witnesses claimed Khales, now in Isfahan prison, did not commit a crime but refused to shoot in an act of humanity, the group said.

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While the unrest has already led to thousands of arrests and deaths among protesters, Khales’ planned execution further raises concerns over unfair, state-sanctioned killings and rushed trials that deny defendants proper legal protections.

“Amid the continuation of protests and the intensification of deadly repression against the people, the news of Javid Khales — a young soldier who refused to shoot at protesters — being sentenced to death has heightened concerns about a new wave of judicial massacre,” the human rights group said. 

“This sentence comes at a time when judiciary officials have openly spoken of summary trials and the swift execution of death sentences against those arrested in the protests.”

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A judiciary spokesperson and the Tehran prosecutor, in separate statements, emphasized that cases involving dissidents must be resolved as quickly as possible, IHRS reported, raising concerns that executions could take place outside proper legal procedures. Human rights sources say many detainees have remained in custody without access to a lawyer or a fair trial.

The organization added that Khales’ death sentence is seen as part of a broader effort to instill fear, “enforce absolute obedience and intensify protest repression.”

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Over the past several days, the government shut down and restricted the internet nationwide to prevent protesters from organizing. Human rights activists say the blackout was also a strategic move to conceal the realities on the ground and suppress public reaction.

Precise details were unavailable regarding Khales’ case, his current status or the judicial process.

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

Israel’s ‍Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ⁠has accepted an invitation from United States ​President Donald ‍Trump to join the “board of ⁠peace”.

The Israeli leader’s office announced on social media on Wednesday that Netanyahu is to join the initiative, despite the fact that it was unveiled as part of phase two of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas to end Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Numerous world leaders have been invited to join the body, which Trump envisages would oversee “governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilisation” in the enclave.

However, Netanyahu’s participation will add to concerns over the objectivity of the board, which will be led by, and its lineup controlled by, Trump.

More to come …