Christians in Iran are raising concerns over proposed legislation that could dramatically expand the Islamic Republic’s ability to punish citizens for communicating with foreign organizations, media outlets, universities, and other institutions. Iran’s parliament approved the general framework of the measure on August 16, with 183 lawmakers in the 290-seat body supporting legislation aimed at combating what Tehran describes as foreign “infiltration.” The proposal would criminalize interviews and other communications with media organizations deemed hostile to the Islamic Republic—including American, Israeli, or U.S.- and Israeli-funded outlets—and critics warn its sweeping language could extend far beyond journalism. The bill reportedly contains 33 articles and could grant Iran’s security apparatus, including the Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ intelligence organization, significantly broader authority over private, academic, cultural, and financial contacts with the outside world.
For Iran’s already persecuted Christian minority, the implications could be particularly serious. Evangelical Christians, converts from Islam, and members of underground house churches have repeatedly been treated by Iranian authorities as national-security threats, with believers facing arrests and charges tied to evangelism and religious activity. Worthy News reports that Iranian Christians fear the proposed legislation could further isolate believers from international Christian ministries and potentially expose ordinary religious communication to accusations of cooperating with hostile foreign organizations. Human-rights and media organizations are raising similar concerns about the bill’s broader implications, warning that its vague definitions could criminalize ordinary interactions involving journalists, academics, civil-society organizations, scholarships, conferences, and international institutions. Tehran presents the measure as protection against foreign interference; critics see the architecture for an even more tightly controlled society.
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