Iran’s New President Not Expected to Relieve Christian Persecution
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Christians in Iran are not expecting the country’s new president to improve the harsh persecution they face at the hands of the Iranian Islamic extremist regime, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Elected in early July, President Masoud Pezeshkian takes the place of former president Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May. Despite his claims to be a reformer in women’s and minority rights, Pezeshkian has publicly declared his allegiance to Khamenei, a man who has persecuted Christians for decades. Pezeshkian has also aligned himself against Israel and the US while praising Russia and China.
“We do have the broad policies coming from His Greatness…[Khamenei]. I did say in our [presidential] debates that those policies are the guiding light of our path and define our goal,” Pezeshkian said.
“Pezeshkian’s sentiments against the West and his clear compliance with Khamenei’s policies, consisting of blatant persecution of Christians, likely adds up to continued suffering for Christ-followers living in the nation,” ICC noted in its report.
Iranian pastor Robert Karami confirmed ICC’s view in a recent interview with Christianity Today. “The [election of Pezeshkian] highlights a superficial change in leadership,” Karami said. “It does not matter who holds the presidential office as long as the Supreme Leader remains in power.” Karami continued, stating that “until the power structure is fundamentally changed, the future for Christians [in Iran] remains bleak.”
Iran is governed by an Islamic regime which routinely persecutes Christians and ranks 9th on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024, highlighting the top 50 countries where Christians face persecution.
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