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 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
The United States is withdrawing all of its roughly 1,000 troops from Syria, ending a decade-long military campaign against the Islamic State, according to a Wall Street Journal exclusive citing American officials.
The Justice Department has issued a fresh round of subpoenas in a Florida-based investigation examining the origins and conduct of the federal government’s 2016 Russia inquiry — a probe that shadowed President Donald Trump for years and fueled deep divisions across the nation.
The White House is heralding a better-than-expected jobs report as one of the first signs of what it says will be a “record successful year” in 2026, after a year of stalled jobs growth.
As Ramadan, deemed a holy month by Muslims, began Wednesday, advocates warned that Christians and other religious minorities in parts of South Asia face potentially deadly consequences from blasphemy accusations amplified by social media and mob violence.
Satellite imagery reviewed by analysts indicates Iran has advanced fortification work at several sensitive military and nuclear-linked sites, including the Parchin military complex and the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, according to a Reuters report. The developments come as Washington seeks a negotiated nuclear agreement with Tehran while warning that military options remain on the table if diplomacy fails.
A military confrontation between the United States and Iran could erupt within days and develop into a sustained, multi-week campaign, according to multiple sources cited Wednesday, even as diplomatic talks continue between Washington and Tehran.
Israel is expected to begin operational deployment of the Arrow 4 missile defense system in the coming months, marking a significant upgrade to the nation’s multi-layered air defense network, according to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) President and CEO Boaz Levy.