According to the source, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence and the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order (EIKO) “entered our church compound and changed all the locks on the doors, removed the cross from the church’s high tower, installed some monitoring instruments and started to threaten and force our custodian to leave his place inside the compound immediately.”
The church, which is considered a National Heritage site, was “confiscated” following a Revolutionary Court order in 2011. However, Church members were allowed to use the facilities until Iranian government authorities closed it earlier this month.
It is dangerous to be a Christian in Iran. Believers are forbidden to share their faith with their Muslim neighbors or even holding church services in Persian, Iran’s national language.
“Many churches owned by Protestants have been confiscated in Iran,” explains Article18’s Advocacy Director, Mansour Borji. “In most cases, the government has been unable to repurpose them, especially if they were listed. So they typically remain as empty buildings, often neglected, and turn into ruins before being demolished.”
This recent church crackdown comes at a time when Iran’s leaders are publicly acknowledging the spread of Christianity throughout the Islamic republic.
Iranwire.com reports Mahmoud Alavi, the Islamic Republic’s intelligence minister, was giving a speech in front of several Shia Muslim clerics when he announced “Christianity is spreading in ‘parts’ of Iran.”
Global News 
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