Iran

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by BosNewsLife's Stefan J. Bos TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Iran's Islamic leadership has sentenced six Iranian converts to Christianity to long prison terms in recent days, when world attention focused on the country's presidential elections, Christians confirmed Wednesday, June 18.

(ADDS MORE REACTIONS, BACKGROUND) By BosNewsLife Middle East Service TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- The only presidential candidate who pledged to work for religious minorities has won Iran's presidential elections, first results showed.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- A key official of one of Iran's largest house church movements warned Friday, June 14, that the country's presidential elections would not lead to an improvement for minority Christians in the Islamic nation.

Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Iranian Pastor Behnam Irani, who may face the death penalty for "apostasy", is facing serious health problems after two years imprisonment, a close friend has told BosNewsLife. "After two years in jail he suffers terrible complications, including intestinal problems and rheumatism," confirmed Firouz Khandjani, a council member of the 'Church of Iran' movement to which the pastor belongs.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service with reporting by Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Iran's largest Persian speaking Pentecostal church was closed Monday, May 27, after one of its leaders was detained during a worship service and moved to an unknown location, Iranian Christians told BosNewsLife.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- A pastor of the Central Assemblies of God (AoG) Church in Tehran was detained Tuesday, May 21, as part of Iran's wider crackdown on evangelical believers,  Christian rights activists confirmed. The arrest of Reverend Robert Asserian came as his church prepared for possible closure by the end of June due to pressure from the feared Iranian Intelligence Ministry, said advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

By Joseph DeCaro, BosNewsLife International Correspondent TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)– A new report by Iranian activists says "many" Christian activities have been "criminalized" by Iran's leadership.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- There is concern about a jailed Iranian-American pastor amid reports he has been mistreated and placed in solitary confinement in one of Iran's most notorious prisons.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)--Comments from the daughter of influential Iranian ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani suggest that two missing evangelical Christian women are still alive and serving time in Tehran's feared Evin Prison, Iranian media and Christians said Tuesday, April 16 .

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- An evangelical church leader who is serving a six year prison term in one of Iran's most notorious jails for Christian activities has told his father he refuses to condemn his enemies as the Lord "never" abandoned him.