Jailed Catholic woman's hunger strike highlights Iran religious persecution — US demands action

The State Department condemned Iran’s intensified repression of Christians, including a Catholic female connected hunger onslaught successful a situation known arsenic 1 of nan astir sadistic successful nan theocratic state.

The Trump management connection connected wide quality authorities violations carried retired by nan Iranian authorities coincides pinch caller subject strikes against it successful consequence to Tehran’s attacks connected commercialized tankers successful nan Strait of Hormuz.

The Christian female connected hunger onslaught is 42-year-old Ghazal Marzban, who sits successful Iran’s infamous Evin situation successful Tehran, according to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). Iran sentenced Marzban, a Catholic, to astir 10 years successful situation for practicing her Christian faith, Iranian experts told Fox News Digital. Marzban’s beingness health, arsenic of precocious May, had deteriorated. Her existent information is not known.

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Ghazal Marzban sits successful Iran’s infamous Evin situation successful Tehran, according to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). Iran sentenced Marzban, a Catholic, to astir 10 years successful situation for practicing her Christian religion according to Iran experts. (Article 18)

It is unclear if nan management plans to ramp up unit connected Iran’s leaders for their widepsread persecution of belief minorities and opponents of nan regime.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "We are alert of these reports. It is reprehensible that nan Iranian authorities continues to persecute belief minorities, including Iranian Christians."

Article 18, an statement that promotes belief state successful Iran, noted that pursuing Marzban’s conversion, nan Islamic rule postgraduate was banned from taking her barroom introduction examination. Her husband, who besides converted to Christianity, has been denied medicine for his Parkinson’s disease, according to Article 18.

Fox News Digital sent a property query to Iran’s U.N. Mission astir Marzban and nan plight of practicing Christians successful Iran.

Iranians stitchery while blocking a thoroughfare during a protestation successful Tehran, Iran connected Jan. 9, 2026.   (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

The State Department spokesperson said, "In Iran, human authorities and fundamental freedoms, including nan freedoms of expression, serene assembly, association, and belief aliases belief, are wholly ignored. The authorities targets members of belief and taste number groups and uses strategies for illustration arbitrary apprehension and torture to intimidate opponents and soundlessness dissent."

After nan authorities reportedly murdered arsenic galore arsenic 45,000 Iranian demonstrators wrong a 48-hour play successful January, including arsenic galore arsenic 22 Iranian Christians, nan information forces of nan authorities arrested immense numbers of protestors.

Reports opportunity nan Iranian authorities is seeking nan eviction of families from nan St. Peter's Church compound, Critics opportunity it sends a clear connection of intimidation to nan wider Christian community.  (Article 18)

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President Trump has cited nan number of 45,000 Iranians killed by nan regime. The State Department told Fox News Digital that Iran’s leaders should free those protesters still successful detention.

"We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity pinch nan group of Iran and telephone for nan contiguous and unconditional merchandise of each governmental and wrongfully detained prisoners, including those facing persecution for peacefully exercising their basal freedoms," said nan State Department spokesperson.

Lisa Daftari, an master connected Iran who is nan editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital that nan associated U.S.-Israel elimination of nan erstwhile Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, successful February, "Hasn’t eased pressure. On nan contrary, we are seeing much escalation and nan implementation of moreover much hardline influences."

Daftari said nan "Arrests of Christians jumped from 139 successful 2024 to 254 successful 2025, alongside longer and much predominant sentences. At slightest 11 group received complete a decade. After nan caller war, authorities claimed they had ‘neutralized’ 53 elements, which is really they mention to evangelical Christians. That is because nan Islamic Republic views conversion arsenic a information threat."

Hengaw, an statement that monitors quality authorities violations successful Iran, reported connected its website connected July 3 that nan authorities plans to prehend nan St. Peter Church successful Tehran. Daftari said, "This is simply a ample Christian compound pinch schools and family homes, and astir 20 Armenian and Assyrian families are being expelled nether a Revolutionary Court bid that’s been sitting unused since 1998."

Iranian authorities are reportedly evicting each those surviving successful nan compound of nan church. (Article 18)

When asked astir a argumentation consequence from nan U.S., Daftari said, "If there’s going to be a response, it has to beryllium targeted. That intends sanctions connected nan specific judges, intelligence officials and IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] actors progressive successful cases for illustration St. Peter Church and Marzban. And nan transportation of religion spot to entities for illustration EIKO [a business empire controlled by nan precocious Khamenei] should beryllium treated arsenic authorities seizure, not an soul ineligible matter, and raised accordingly successful world forums."

Ramin, whose existent sanction cannot beryllium disclosed owed to "security reasons," an master for Open Doors, a world Christian statement that immunodeficiency persecuted Christians, told Fox News Digital, "The threatened confiscation of St Peter’s Evangelical Church successful Tehran is profoundly concerning and should not beryllium viewed simply arsenic a spot dispute. It reflects a wider and long-standing shape of unit connected Iran’s Christian communities, including recognized historical churches, Protestant communities, converts and reported cases involving Catholic converts."

Ramin added, "St Peter’s is 1 of Iran’s historical Protestant churches, and nan reported eviction of families from nan compound sends a clear connection of intimidation to nan wider Christian community. Together pinch nan arrest, detention and sentencing of Christian converts, including those from Catholic backgrounds, this shows that nan Iranian authorities proceed to dainty nan serene Christian religion arsenic a information interest alternatively than arsenic a basal correct to state of belief aliases belief."

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Mansour Borji, nan executive head of Article 18, told Fox News Digital that "The targeting of Christians whom nan founders of nan Islamic Republic viewed arsenic an ideological threat began from nan earliest days of nan revolution. This included some Catholic and Protestant communities. Within days of nan 1979 revolution, nan Rev. Arastoo Sayyah, an Anglican priest, was murdered successful his office. Foreign missionaries were expelled wrong nan first twelvemonth and Christian schools, hospitals and churches soon came nether expanding pressure."

He added that, "Since 2008, Article18 has documented galore confidential cases involving nan arbitrary apprehension of Catholic converts, harassment of religion leaders, visa denials for clergy, nan revocation of citizenship from a long-serving bishop and nan confiscation and demolition of religion property."

A advertisement depicting Iran's ultimate leaders since 1979: (L to R) Ayatollahs Ruhollah Khomeini (until 1989), Ali Khamenei (until 2026), and Mojtaba Khamenei (incumbent) is displayed supra a road successful Tehran connected March 10, 2026. Iran marked nan assignment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to switch his begetter arsenic its ultimate leader connected March 9, 2026.  (AFP/Via Getty Images)

Borji continued, "The caller move against St. Peter’s Church is truthful not an isolated incident aliases a caller development. It is portion of a long-standing shape of systematic unit connected independent Christian communities. The Islamic Republic is simply a totalitarian authorities that has consistently sought to suppress immoderate institution aliases organization that operates extracurricular its ideological control."

In nan aftermath of nan intensified persecution of Iranian Christians, he warned that "If nan Islamic Republic regains nan capacity to task its ideology pinch renewed confidence, nan consequences are apt to widen crossed nan region and beyond."

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He urged that perpetrators "face targeted sanctions, visa restrictions and plus freezes nether existing quality authorities mechanisms."

Borji said that "Governments, particularly successful nan EU, U.K. and different waste and acquisition partners, should besides make belief state a accordant portion of their engagement pinch Iran, alternatively than treating it arsenic a secondary issue. Appeasing a authorities that persecutes its ain group has seldom produced moderation."