Washington D.C., May 28, 2013 / 16:46 pm
The pastor of a Pentecostal church in Iran was arrested last week during a religious service, and the church has now been closed by government officials, according to news reports.
"These incidents appear to be an attempt to stop worship services from being conducted in Farsi, the language of the majority of Iranians," said George Wood, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God in the United States.
He explained to to BosNewsLife, a Central European Christian news service, that such worship services "are allowed in Armenian, a minority language that most Iranians do not speak or even understand."
The Central Assemblies of God church in Tehran was closed on May 27 following the arrest of Pastor Robert Asserian during a service held at the church six days earlier. Members of his congregation said they do not know where he is being held.