by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Two Christians in their 60s, who were “pardoned” and released after serving a combined six years in prison for leading house churches in Iran, have been re-arrested, a non-profit organization advocating for persecuted Christians reported.
Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh and Joseph Shahbazian were re-arrested at their homes in the Tehran region by intelligence agents on the morning of February 6, Article18 reported.
They were taken back to the notorious Evin Prison in the city.
Nasser is reportedly on a hunger strike to protest his unlawful re-arrest. Article18 sources also reported that several other Tehran Christians were arrested at the same time and remain in custody.
Joseph, an Iranian-Armenian, and Nasser, a Christian convert, were re-arrested and remain prominent examples of targeted Christian detentions in Iran. Both received 10-year sentences for “actions against national security” due to their involvement in house churches, underscoring the ongoing risks for such groups.
Despite centuries of persecution, the number of Iranian Christians has surged over the last 20 years, surpassing the growth seen in the previous 13 centuries since Islam arrived in Iran. From an estimated 500 in 1979, today, hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of Iranians are embracing Christianity and acknowledging Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
In 2023, George Whitten, the founder of Worthy News, interviewed a leading house church pastor in Iran, inquiring about the rapid growth of the revival there. The pastor explained, “We do not baptize anyone unless they are willing to post their baptism on YouTube,” highlighting their commitment by adding, “We are all in for the gospel’s sake.”
In 2023, a senior Iranian cleric revealed that about 50,000 of Iran’s 75,000 mosques are closed, highlighting the rapid growth of Christianity and disillusionment with “the regime’s use of Islam to justify its authoritarian rule.”
In 2025, Open Doors lists Iran as the ninth worst country for Christian persecution, highlighting the severe risks and ongoing challenges Christians face there due to the Iranian regime’s control of the country.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Pastor Praveen Pagadala, one of India’s most well-known Christian evangelists, has been found dead under alleged suspicious circumstances in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, Worthy News learned Wednesday. He was 46.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced Wednesday he would sign “a historic executive order instituting reciprocal tariffs on countries throughout the world” ranging from 10 percent to 49 percent.
European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde warned Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned tariffs will have a negative impact worldwide, with the damage depending on how far they go, how long they last, and whether they lead to successful negotiations.
The FBI ordered agents to stop discussing Hunter Biden’s laptop just hours after one of its own inadvertently confirmed its authenticity to Twitter, internal messages show. Ahead of The Post’s 2020 reports, the FBI had warned tech giants of a potential Russian disinformation dump resembling the laptop contents. Once the story broke, Facebook execs weighed censorship strategies to align with the expected Biden-Harris administration, according to a congressional investigation.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Wednesday that Israel is expanding its Gaza operations after heavy overnight strikes, with troops set to clear terrorists and infrastructure and seize territory for expanded security zones.
At least six nuclear-capable B-2 Spirit stealth bombers have been seen at Camp Thunder Bay on Diego Garcia, a remote U.S. base in the Indian Ocean according to satellite imagery analyzed on Wednesday by the Associated Press.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister issued a strong warning to the United States, cautioning that any military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities would lead to “catastrophic” consequences for the entire region after President Donald Trump threatened the “bombing the likes they have never seen before.”