In January it was reported that the Iranian parliament which would give equal "blood money" to Muslims and non-Muslims. This is payment paid to the families of those murdered or killed in a vehicle accident. Earlier this month, the Iranian Guardian Council rejected the amendment to Article 297 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code, saying that it goes against Sharia law which outlines that a non-Muslim is to get 1/12 what a Muslim receives. The Guardian Council is a group of Muslim clerics who must approve all legislation. In their letter to the Parliament Speaker, Mehdi Karroubi, the Council said that the final decision will lie with the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and they will abide by his decision.
Original Persecution and Prayer Alert story published January 15, 2003
(News Reports from IRIB News and Jomhouri-ye Eslami)
Bill For Equal Treatment Rejected
- 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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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.)
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Over 50 Arrested Christians Accused of Espionage
A map of Iran, marking the arrests
of Christians since June 24, 2025.
(Click on the image for a larger view.)
Photo: Article18Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) recently reported that over 50 Christians have been arrested since the end of the recent conflict between Iran and Israel in June 2025. The country's intelligence agency labelled the detained believers as "Mossad mercenaries," claiming that they had been trained by churches abroad and were now operating "under the guise of the Zionist Christian evangelization movement."
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Convicted Christian Deported and Arrested
Mehran Shamloui
Photo: Article 18On March 8th, Mehran Shamloui was one of three Christians convicted in Iran for "propaganda" and membership in an alleged "opposition group." He was sentenced to more than ten years in prison. (For more details, see this report.)
