Islamic Republic Deems Christian Faith a Security Threat and Wages War Against Them With ‘Espionage’ Label

The arrest of Christians on security charges and espionage accusations represents the latest report from international Christian organizations regarding the intensification of systematic persecution by the Islamic Republic against these citizens.

In a new and detailed report on the situation of Christians in Iran, four international human rights organizations, “Article 18 Organization” in cooperation with “Open Doors,” “Christian Solidarity Worldwide,” and “Middle East Eye,” released their eighth annual report, which presents a dark and inhumane picture of systematic persecution of the Christian community in 2025.

The report, titled “Scapegoating,” addresses in particular the unprecedented increase in arrests of Christians, especially converted Christians, following Iran’s 12-day war with Israel. Arrests made on charges of “espionage,” “Zionist Christianity,” “abduction by foreigners,” and “propaganda against the system,” essentially carried out without presenting valid documents.

The report was released on February 19, 2025, coinciding with the anniversary of the murder of Reverend Aristovoulos Siayas, an Episcopal church priest who was killed in Shiraz eight days after the establishment of the Islamic Republic.

According to the “Scapegoating” report, the Islamic Republic brought pressure against Christians to an unprecedented level in 2025:

• 254 Christians were arrested in 2025 on charges related to their beliefs or religious activities, nearly double the previous year’s figure.
• The number of people sentenced to imprisonment, exile, or forced labor more than doubled (57 individuals compared to 25 in 2024).
• By the end of 2025, 43 individuals were serving sentences and at least 16 were in temporary detention.
• The total sentences handed down in 2025 exceeded 280 years of imprisonment, compared to 263 sentences in the previous year, indicating the issuance of heavier sentences.
• At least 11 Christians were sentenced to more than 10 years in prison, and sentences of exile and social deprivation (deprivation of medical, educational, or employment services) have also been issued.

These statistics show that the Iranian regime has not only detained civil activists and Christians on a broader scale but has also systematically become harsher in the enforcement of penalties.

The report emphasizes that the new wave of arrests intensified following the Islamic Republic’s 12-day war with Israel in June 2025, when security officials skillfully linked the internal crackdown with the external conflict and portrayed Christians as “trained elements” or “foreign agents.”

In many cases, state media aired video images of Christian gatherings outside the country alongside their religious books, broadcasting them as evidence of Bible smuggling and “anti-national security” activities.

According to this report:

• The use of Articles 500 and 500 repeated of the Islamic Penal Code, which classify Christian religious activities as “propaganda against Islam,” has significantly increased and can carry sentences of up to 10 years in prison.
• Farsi-speaking Christians are deprived of freely holding religious ceremonies in official buildings and are forced to gather in home churches, which are often targets of security force raids.
• Bibles in the Persian language have repeatedly been confiscated during home searches and used in court as evidence against them.
• The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has played an increasingly prominent role in the arrest and interrogation of Christians, an institution that is on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations due to its role in suppressing recent nationwide protests.
• Activities outside the country, such as participation in theological ceremonies in Turkey, are used as “evidence” against detainees.

The published report also notes that persecution is not limited to the Christian community alone; by the end of 2025, in response to nationwide protests, thousands of Iranian citizens, including at least 19 Christians, have been killed, a situation that the international community has described as “brutal.”

In the concluding section of this report, a series of recommendations have been presented to the Iranian government and the international community, including:

• Reopening the Bible Society, which has been closed for over 35 years.
• Unconditional release of Christians and other religious minorities arrested for their beliefs.
• Reopening closed churches and guaranteeing freedom of worship for Farsi-speaking Christians.
• Diplomatic and legal pressure on Iran to comply with international commitments regarding freedom of religion and belief.
• Improving fair and humane processes in Christian refugee asylum requests in other countries.
• Including the situation of Christians in UN and human rights organization reports.

This new report not only presents a clear picture of the increasing persecution of Christians in Iran, particularly following regional tensions, but also shows that this persecution is part of a broader structure that has nearly destroyed religious freedom and human rights in this country.