The World Council of Churches has called on the Iranian authorities to return a confiscated church in Tehran

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has strongly condemned the actions of the Iranian authorities, who confiscated the historic 150-year-old St. Peter’s Church in Tehran and evicted the families living on its grounds. According to Christian Today, the international community views this incident as a serious violation of religious freedom and the rights of national minorities.

As a result of the forced eviction, 20 families from the Assyrian and Armenian communities were left homeless. The 10-acre site included not only the church but also residential homes, schools, and the offices of the Bible Society and the Council of Evangelical Churches of Iran. CEC General Secretary Dr. Jerry Pillay expressed deep concern over the situation, emphasizing that such measures threaten the country’s Christian heritage and violate international law.

The situation has drawn the attention of United Nations experts. According to their reports, residents were given only two weeks to pack their belongings, under threat of arrest for church leaders. There are serious concerns that the historic complex may be demolished. The UN emphasizes that this is not an isolated incident but part of a long-term strategy to exert pressure on the Christian community in Iran.

Iranian authorities have justified their actions by claiming that the property is allegedly foreign-owned; however, the human rights organization Voice of the Martyrs categorically refutes this claim. To date, according to estimates, there are virtually no active Protestant churches left in Iran that hold services in Farsi, which is evidence of the systematic restriction of religious freedoms in the country.