By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TEHRAN (Worthy News) – Friends of a detained Christian woman in Tehran urged fellow believers to pray for her on Wednesday after Iran’s authorities demanded $135,000 in local currency for her release.
Without bail money, Aida Najaflou remains in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran following her arrest for Christian activities some four months ago, Worthy News learned.
“Aida was arrested in Tehran in early 2025 and taken to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is operated by Iranian Intelligence,” confirmed advocacy group Middle East Concern (MEC).
“Later, she was transferred to the women’s section of the prison,” MEC added.
Christians with close knowledge about the situation said she is facing trumped-up charges of “acting against national security” and “propaganda against the regime.”
Authorities want “a very large sum, 11 billion tomans (approximately $135,000)”
as bail. “Her family has been unable to provide this for Aida’s conditional release,” MEC told Worthy News.
PRAYERS URGED
“Please pray that God will give His comfort and peace to Aida and her family, that Aida will be released soon, and Iran will stop oppressing its Christian citizens, including converts,” MEC added.
Aida Najaflou is among numerous devout Christians recently detained by the Islamic Republic’s authorities. Among them are converts who angered authorities by abandoning Islam, Worthy News documented.
“Both leaders and ordinary members of Christian groups are often arrested, prosecuted and given long prison sentences for ‘crimes against national security’,” added advocacy group Open Doors.
“Recognised historical communities, such as Armenian and Assyrian Christians, are state-protected but treated as second-class citizens. They face many discriminatory legal provisions and are not allowed to worship in Persian or interact with Christian converts. Those who support converts can also face imprisonment,” added the group.
Open Doors ranks Iran 9th on its annual World Watch List of 50 countries where it says Christians face the most persecution for their faith in Christ.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
The Trump administration has finalized a sweeping reciprocal trade agreement with Taiwan, confirming a 15 percent U.S. tariff rate on Taiwanese imports while securing broad new market access and purchase commitments for American goods.
Democrats are applauding White House border czar Tom Homan’s Thursday announcement that immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota will end next week.
Democrats in the U.S. Senate tanked the Homeland Security full-year funding bill in a last-ditch vote Thursday, all but guaranteeing a partial government shutdown starting Saturday.
Mourners in a remote Canadian town grappled Thursday with the aftermath of one of the country’s deadliest school shootings in decades, as families, survivors and leaders reacted to the tragedy that left eight victims — most of them children — dead, along with the 18-year-old suspect.
A gunman who opened fire at a school in southern Thailand’s Hat Yai city on Wednesday wounded a teacher and a student before being detained, authorities said, in a rare attack that sent students and staff into panic.
The Republican-led House of Representatives has passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, advancing legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at the polls. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain amid strong Democratic opposition.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that its advanced David’s Sling air and missile defense system has completed a series of complex modernized tests, a development officials say bolsters the country’s defensive posture as tensions with Iran escalate and the United States prepares military options that could include direct strikes.