Iran Arrests Three Christian Leaders on Zionist Christianity Charges

Iranian authorities arrested three leaders of a Christian evangelistic network in May and charged them with establishing a house church, converting family members and friends, and promoting Zionist Christianity. State prosecutors stated the individuals had prayed for Israel’s victory and acted against the interests of the Islamic Republic.

The arrests follow a pattern that began after the start of Operation Epic Fury, when Iranian authorities accused Iran’s Christian communities of being Zionists.

FDD reported that officials have framed Christian converts as agents of a foreign enemy rather than only as apostates. After the 12-Day War in June 2025, the regime accused church leaders of being Mossad mercenaries. An estimated 53 Christians were arrested and charged with moharebeh, an offense that carries a potential death sentence under Sharia law.

Imprisonments of Christians in Iran surged six-fold in 2024 compared to 2023. Since 1979, churches have been shuttered, house churches raided, and believers imprisoned on vague national security charges. FDD reported that the regime has merged Christianity with Zionism in public messaging to recast religious repression as national defense.

Convert communities, particularly Persian-speaking converts, have been targeted as independent of state-controlled religious institutions and connected to underground networks. The strategy allows authorities to portray evangelism as a foreign-backed effort to undermine the Islamic Republic.

Despite the repression, house churches continue to operate and Christian content circulates online despite government surveillance.