Concerns Grow For Christians In Iranian Prisons Amid Strikes

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

TEHRAN (Worthy News) – Families and friends of scores of Christians held in Iranian prisons have requested prayers as “concerns for their well-being grow and communication has all but ceased” amid ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran, Christians told Worthy News Thursday.

There are at least 48 Christians behind bars in the Islamic Republic “on account of their Christian faith and related activities,” said advocacy group Middle East Concern (MEC).

Earlier, international human rights group Amnesty International noted that “ongoing U.S. and Israeli air strikes near prisons, as well as the targeting of security facilities where detainees are held, are placing prisoners, including children, at risk.”

However, Iranian authorities’ “refusal to release all those arbitrarily detained and grant humanitarian release to others imprisoned is knowingly placing those prisoners at risk of death or serious harm,” Amnesty added.

Some prisoners have reportedly been transferred to unidentified locations or areas near potential military sites, intensifying concerns for their safety, according to rights investigators. It remained unclear how many Christians were among them. Amnesty said authorities were also subjecting detainees to enforced disappearance and denying them access to adequate food and water.

FEARS OVER EVIN PRISON

As tensions rose, “family members of Christians held in Evin Prison” in Tehran “have expressed their concerns at the lack of news as calls from prison have become very rare,” MEC told Worthy News.

It added that it had asked Christians to pray “that prisoners of conscience will be released, but pending their release, they will have access to sufficient food and healthcare.”

MEC also urged prayers that “U.S. and Israeli forces will not target the prisons, as happened in the 12-day war last year.”

The group said it was crucial that “families will be promptly informed of health issues or transfers of prisoners to other locations,” while asking supporters to pray that “the Lord will comfort relatives and friends worrying about their loved ones in prison.”

Among recent cases are Christian converts such as Mehran Shamloui, who faces more than 10 years in prison after his arrest, and believers including Joseph Shahbazian, Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, and Aida Najaflou, who have received lengthy sentences linked to house church activities, according to rights investigators and advocacy groups.

IRAN’S PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS

Iran is ranked 10th on the 2026 World Watch List compiled by Open Doors, which tracks countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.

The country remains among the world’s most difficult places to be a Christian, with persecution classified as “extreme,” driven largely by its strict Islamic governance system and security apparatus, according to Open Doors and partner organizations.

Converts from Islam to Christianity are viewed as a threat to national security and are frequently detained, interrogated, and imprisoned, particularly those linked to house churches.

“The Christian community in Iran is facing a crisis,” said Hadi Ghaemi of the Center for Human Rights in Iran, noting believers are jailed for peacefully practicing their faith.

Authorities often accuse converts of acting against the state or maintaining ties to foreign powers, reinforcing a narrative that frames Christianity as a Western influence, according to investigators.

While historic Christian communities such as Armenian and Assyrian churches are allowed limited worship, they are barred from evangelizing Muslims.

Rights groups say this combination of legal restrictions, surveillance, arrests, and imprisonment makes Iran one of the harshest environments for Christians globally — a situation now compounded by the risks posed by ongoing military escalation.

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