By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
TEHRAN, Iran (Worthy News)-- Iranian Christian leaders called for a day of prayer following a new wave of arrests of believers with Muslim backgrounds in Tehran and other cities.
In the early hours of December 26, 25 believers were arrested: although 14 remain detained, after intense questioning the remaining 11 were released only after signing statements that they would no longer participate in Christian activities.
Many more arrests were reported in Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan and Urumieh; while some were released, many leaders of fellowships remain detained, even though no formal charges were filed.
The Governor General of Tehran Province, Morteza Tamadon, issued a statement that a number of evangelical Christians were arrested for having a "corrupting" influence; he promised that more arrests would soon follow.
In addition to those recently arrested, other Christians remain imprisoned: they include Pastor Vahik and his wife Sonia and Arash and his wife Arezo, Pastor Behrouz and Pastor Yousef, who was arrested in Rasht back in October 2009.
No further news is known of Pastor Yousef's appeal to the Iranian Supreme Court following his conviction and sentencing to death for apostasy last September.