Exiled Iranian Christians say they are watching the latest turmoil in their homeland with deep anxiety.
The concern follows US and Israeli strikes on Iran and the reported 28 February death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which triggered retaliatory attacks across the region.
Speaking to OSV News, Iranian Catholic Bibi Sakine, now living in England, said Iran once allowed religious freedom but that life for Christians deteriorated after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Still, she criticised the bombing campaign, saying change should come from the Iranian people themselves. Church leaders and advocates say the pressure on Christians has intensified.
A February report by human rights groups documented 254 arrests of Christians in 2025 – twice the previous year – along with harsher prison sentences and restrictions on education, jobs and health care.
The report demanded “unconditional release” of Christians and others detained for their beliefs and the reopening of “forcibly closed” churches.
Protestant pastor Hossein Amiri said harsh repression has pushed many conversions underground, with house churches growing quietly. But he warned believers fear “terrible reprisals” if the current regime survives.
