Christians arrested and detained


Daniel Shahri
Photo from FCNN

A 19-year-old Christian, Daniel Shahri, remains in detention after he was arrested by officers in Isfahan, Iran. On April 11, plain-clothes officers from the Ministry of Information arrived at Daniel's home, pretending they had a letter to deliver. Once the door was opened, the officers stormed inside the house. Discovering that Daniel was not home, the officers confiscated his personal belongings, including his computer, DVD player, DVDs and CDs, cell phone and books. Daniel's sister was then forced to phone him and ask him to come home. When he arrived, the officers arrested him and took him to an unknown location. On April 14, Daniel was finally able to contact his parents, who are both blind and have physical disabilities, and inform them that he was charged with "publishing falsities and insults to the Muslim faith." He also reported that he was being held at Dastgard prison.

On April 14, a house church pastor was arrested following a raid on his home in Karaj where approximately 10 young men newly converted to Christianity had gathered for fellowship and Bible study. Several plain-clothes officers, who introduced themselves as agents from the Ministry of Information, arrested all in attendance and forced them to fill out forms to explain how they became Christians and who baptized them. The young men were told they had attended an illegal meeting and that in the coming days they would be summoned for further questioning by authorities. The pastor, Bahnam Irani, was assaulted and then transported to an undisclosed location. Later that day, officers again entered Bahnam's home and confiscated most of his personal belongings, including pictures, cameras, computers, Bibles, and other Christian literature. Five years ago, Bahnam was arrested and charged with similar crimes and spent more than one month in prison. (Source: Farsi Christian News Network)

Pray for health and safety for Daniel and Bahnam at this time. Pray that they will be released soon and that all charges will be dropped. Pray that increased persecution will result in increased boldness among believers in Iran (Acts 4:29-31).

For more information on persecution in Iran, check out the Iran Country Report.

  • 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
    Persecuted

    Population
    87,590,873 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity
    Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen and Turkic tribes

    Religion (%)
    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 republic

    Legal system
    Religious legal system based on secular and Islamic law

    Source: 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.

Iran News

  • Retrial Denied for Imprisoned Believer
    Mehran
    Mehran Shamloui
    Photo: Article 18

    Iran'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.)

  • Over 50 Arrested Christians Accused of Espionage
    A map of Iran has several labels, all showing where Christians were arrested since June 24, 2025.
    A map of Iran, marking the arrests
    of Christians since June 24, 2025. 
    (Click on the image for a larger view.)
    Photo: Article18

    Iran'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."

  • Convicted Christian Deported and Arrested
    Mehran
    Mehran Shamloui
    Photo: Article 18

    On 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.)

  • Laleh Saati Receives Conditional Release
    A smiling Laleh is outside, and the sun is shining on her face. A tree is in the background.
    Laleh Saati
    Photo: Article18

    Laleh Saati is a Christian convert and former asylum-seeker who was incarcerated in February 2024 and sentenced to two years in prison. (For more information on the imprisonment of this 46-year-old Iranian follower of Jesus, visit this page.) Throughout Laleh's time in custody, concerns have been raised about her physical health and psychological well-being. Most recently, it was reported that the Christian woman was denied needed medical treatment for a hand injury that had occurred as a result of a fall.