Christian persecution likely to continue under Iran’s new President
Masoud Pezeshkian, who won the election in early July, declared himself as a moderate leader and promised improvements on women's and minority's rights.
Iranian Christians are worried that the new president will not uphold his views, after proudly declaring his loyalty to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei – also referred to as Ayatollah. Khamenei has a reputation of persecuting Christians and other religious minorities and he has ultimate power in relation to Iranian laws.
Pezeshkian called him “the guiding light” that the new Iranian administration will follow: “We do have the broad policies coming from His Greatness…[Khamenei]. I did say in our [presidential] debates that those policies are the guiding light of our path and define our goal.”
International Christian Concern submitted a report from 2022, highlighting anti-Christian atrocities and stated: “The Ayatollah is responsible for the brutal torture and execution of many Iranian Christians.” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Intelligence Ministry regularly harass followers of Christ. They are consistently denied job opportunities or better pay, permits for their businesses, and a right to education. Many Christian converts were forced to leave their homes following the constant threats from their communities.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom revealed a list of nine Christians who have recently been imprisoned for their faith.
Pezeshkian has also called Israel an apartheid “compulsive aggressor” state and praised Russia and China, stating that “we look forward to collaborating more extensively with Beijing as we advance towards a new global order.” At the same time he criticized the United States for withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – the Iran Nuclear Deal – in 2018, and called the United States’ sanctions against Iran “unlawful”.
Iranian pastor Robert Karami expressed his concerns in an interview: “The election result highlights a superficial change in leadership. It does not matter who holds the presidential office as long as the Supreme Leader remains in power. Until the power structure is fundamentally changed, the future for Christians in Iran remains bleak.”
Source: https://www.persecution.org/
