Iran

Many influential politicians and officials in America are calling on Iran to stop the execution of Iranian Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani for apostasy, but that has not helped his case even a bit, the pastor’s lawyer said.

“They (the courts) work on the evidence and Iranian law,” CNN quoted Nadarkhani’s lawyer Mohammad Dadkah as saying Friday. “I don’t think the statements from the United States has had any impact either on this case as this is all going through the Iranian justice system, which is based on the law and evidence.”

The evangelical pastor, from the Church of Iran denomination, was convicted of apostasy last year and was sentenced to death by hanging. more >>

Confusion continues to surround the case of Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani as latest reports indicate that the death row pastor has been granted a “review” of his case.

However, conflicting reports have now emerged with some contradicting earlier reports that the Iranian Supreme Court had granted a full retrial. A number of sources close to the case are now saying a retrial has not yet been guaranteed, and is only one of the possible outcomes of the so-called “review.”

According to CNN, the court has now called on the highly-revered Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for his opinion on the case. more >>

Reports have emerged stating that Iran’s Supreme Court has ordered a re-trial for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who was previously sentenced to death for refusing to recant his faith in Jesus Christ.

According to numerous reports, the court has made the decision to send the case for retrial. Fox News has reported that the high court has sent Nadarkhani’s case back to the lower courts to be looked at again, although The Christian Post has not yet been able to verify these reports officially. To make matters more confusing there are further reports that believe the court has only gone as far as saying they will "review" the pastor's case, and has not gone as far as ordering a complete retrial as yet, although that remains one of the possible outcomes.

Iranian student news agency ISNA has released a statement saying: “If there is an appeal and the case is returned to the Supreme Court, the case will be reviewed.” more >>

An Iranian General, Masoud Jazayeri, has likened the Occupy Wall Street protests to the Arab Spring movement that began in December 2010 and gained traction this spring.

Jazayeri, a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, was quoted by the Iranian news agency IRNA as saying, “A revolution and comprehensive movement against corruption in the U.S. is in the making. The last phase will be the collapse of the Western capitalist system.”

Jazayeri also said that the lack of U.S. government resolve in halting the economic crisis will turn the Occupy Wall Street movement into a “political and social movement protesting the very structure of the U.S. government.” more >>

Texas Governor Rick Perry has joined a growing list of U.S. officials in condemning the impending execution of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani in Iran.

The Republican presidential candidate said Monday that the Iranian government's decision to execute the Christian pastor for refusing to recant his faith is "unacceptable."

"There is no shade of gray or room for equivocation here: Freedom to worship is a basic human right, and the charges against Pastor Nadarkhani are an affront to the essential principles of the civilized world," Perry said in a statement. more >>

Islamic militants with suspected ties to Iranian security forces have been terrorizing evangelical Christians with threats to "repent" or die, it was reported Sunday.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide has reported that 11 Iranian Christians who fled Iran in the wake of a government campaign against Christianity have received threats via email to "repent" or face extrajudicial execution, from a group identifying itself as the "The Unknown Soldiers of The Hidden Imam."

The threatening emails that were sent to each individual on Sept. 14 aspired to extend the arm of Iranian Islamic militancy beyond the borders of Iran by implying that, although the recipients have left Iran, they have not escaped the "acute eyes of the unknown soldiers." more >>