Iran

By BosNewsLife Correspondents Eric Leijenaar and Stefan J. Bos TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Devoted Christians in Iran anxiously awaited the outcome of their country's presidential elections Friday, June 12, amid hopes a new leader would allow more religious freedom in this strict Islamic nation and end a police crackdown on Christian converts.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife TEHRAN/MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (BosNewsLife)-- Iran has notified jailed Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who was sentenced to die for "apostasy", to prepare for fresh charges against him at a new trial in September, advocacy officials told BosNewsLife late Thursday, July 5.

By George Whitten, BosNewsLife Senior International Correspondent MASHHAD/JERUSALEM (BosNewsLife)-- Three Christians are being threatened with the death penalty if they do not renounce their Christian faith and revert back to Islam, a well-informed Christian network reported Monday, September 13.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Iranian family members and friends were still searching Saturday, May 30, for several former Muslims who converted to Christianity, after Iranian security forces detained them during a raid at a house church.

By Joseph DeCaro, BosNewsLife International Correspondent TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- An influential Iranian official has accused "enemies of Islam" of donating money to the rapidly growing house churches in the strict Islamic nation.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani faced tense hours early Saturday, October 1, after a government official said he should be executed for being a traitorous "Zionist" and committing "security crimes."

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service (ADDS NEW DETAILS, VICTORY CLAIM, NEW LEAD) TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has lost the presidential election, his challenger said, a development that was expected to be welcomed by Christians seeking more religious rights and the United States, where President Barack Obama seeks new relations with the strict Islamic nation.

Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Two Iranian Christian women have been detained because of their Christian activities, supporters of the Iranian Christians said Tuesday, March 31.

By BosNewsLife Middle East Service TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Rights activists said late Friday, October 4, they were "extremely concerned" about what they called "a serious deterioration in the health" of a 35-year-old Iranian Christian woman who is serving a four year sentence in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison.

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife TEHRAN, IRAN (BosNewsLife)-- Several Christian converts spent Easter in freedom after Iranian authorities released them amid concerns that...