After more than five weeks, the exact whereabouts of arrested Iranian Christian pastor Khosroo Yusefi and another church leader are still unknown. Yusefi and a fellow Christian from Chalous are believed to be held in the vicinity of Sari, a city near the Caspian seacoast. On June 8, two other church leaders who were jailed with them were released. Since then, however, local Christians have been unable to make contact with the two remaining prisoners. Yuselfi was arrested on May 23 and the other unnamed Christian a week later (click here for more details). Continue to uphold them in your prayers.
Whereabouts of Arrested Leaders Still Unknown
- Current Ministry Fund
By funding television broadcasts, VOMC is making it possible for a vast audience of viewers to be reached throughout Iran with the "Good News" of Jesus' love via satellite.
Project Fund: Underground Church
- Country Information
Designation
PersecutedPopulation
87,590,873 (2023 est.)Ethnicity
Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen and Turkic tribesReligion (%)
Islam (98.5), Christian (0.7), Baha'i (0.3), agnostic (0.3), other (0.2)Leader
Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei (1989)Government type
Theocratic republicLegal system
Religious legal system based on secular and Islamic lawSource: CIA World Factbook
- Pray for Iran
As the Gospel message goes forth over the airwaves, may the growth of the church continue to multiply despite persecution. Pray that the Iranian government will be open to change, allowing full rights and protection for its non-Muslim citizens as well. In the meantime, may those who are forced to flee the country find safe refuge and help so they can live in peace and worship the Lord with freedom.
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Iran News
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Five Christians Receive Lengthy Prison Sentences
L to R: Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, Joseph and Lida Shahbazian, and Aida Najaflou.
Photo: Article18Five Iranian Christians were recently sentenced to a combined 55 years in prison. All of them have been imprisoned because of their Christian faith. Although the sentences were issued on October 21st, the believers only learned of them within the past two weeks.
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Christian Prisoner Denied Adequate Medical Care
Aida Najaflou
Photo: Article18Aida Najaflou, a 44-year-old Christian convert, was arrested in February by Iranian authorities for allegedly "acting against the Islamic Republic" because of her faith in Jesus. The believer has suffered from physical ailments for years, including rheumatoid arthritis.
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Christian Tortured During Pre-Trial Detention
Morteza Faghanpour-Saasi
Photo: Article18In June 2024, five Christian converts in Iran were arrested because of their faith. More than a year later, on July 16th, these believers were convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison for allegedly promoting "propaganda." Little information is available about the five detained Christians, and only three of them have been identified thus far. The charges stem from their attendance at Biblical training courses in Türkiye, as well as their involvement with house churches and online Christian events in Iran.
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Retrial Denied for Imprisoned Believer
Mehran Shamloui
Photo: Article 18Iran's Supreme Court has recently rejected the application for a retrial that was submitted on behalf of Mehran Shamloui, a Christian believer who is currently serving a ten-year prison sentence for his participation in house church activities. Recipients of previously published Persecution & Prayer Alert reports may recall that Mehran had fled to Türkiye in search of refuge. While there, the accused Iranian was apprehended and forced to return to Iran, where he had subsequently been arrested. (The initially posted report regarding Mehran's arrest may be reviewed here.)
