President Masoud Pezeshkian told parliament on Tuesday that Iran’s cohesion and stability hinge on the Supreme Leader’s security, warning that an attack on him during the June war could have provoked internal clashes posing a greater threat than any external enemy.
Baha'is are a religious minority in Iran persecuted by the ruling Islamic theocracy.
“My beloved aunt was arrested while pleading for the release of her husband, who himself had been taken from his workplace just weeks earlier. They raided his office, seized files, and vanished him without a word,” said Saghar Shahidi-Birjandian in an interview with Iran International.
“When she tried to find him, they came for her too. Now both are imprisoned without charges, denied lawyers, denied bail, and even denied the right to mourn after a death in the family,” she added.
Shahidi-Birjandian’s uncle, Kourosh Ziari, was arrested on October 4 at his workplace in Gonbad-e Kavus in northeastern Iran after authorities raided his office and seized his documents.
Her aunt, Sholeh Shahidi, was detained two weeks later while advocating for her husband’s release. Both were held at undisclosed locations for weeks before being transferred to the provincial capital of Gorgan, where they remain detained without legal counsel or formal charges.
“Her disabled son, who depends on her for everything, wasn’t even allowed to see her. The cruelty feels endless, and yet all they’ve ever done is live peacefully,” said Shahidi-Birjandian.
She has launched a Change.org petition calling for the couple’s immediate and unconditional release, protection from mistreatment in detention, and the reunion of their disabled son with his parents.
Growing crackdown
Her story is not unique.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought the clerical establishment to power in Iran, Baha'is have been systemically persecuted simply for their faith because the Islamic Republic does not recognize the Baha'i faith as an official religion and views it as heretical to Islam.
Authorities routinely accuse Baha'is of being spies for Israel since the Baháʼí World Centre is located in Haifa, Israel, though the site predates the creation of Israel.
Baha'is in Iran have faced arbitrary arrests, executions, confiscation of property, denial of higher education, job bans and harassment, a state-sanctioned effort to erase their community from public life despite their peaceful and apolitical beliefs.
Since the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, the situation for Baha'i in Iran has deteriorated sharply, Farhad Sabetan, spokesperson for the Baha’i International Community told Iran International. There has been a coordinated wave of raids across at least six provinces including Sistan and Baluchistan, Semnan, Mazandaran, Fars, Isfahan and Tehran, says Sabetan.
In October alone, security agents raided at least twenty-two homes and businesses, seizing belongings, sealing shops, and detaining Baha'is as part of a growing campaign of intimidation amid Iran’s worsening economic and political crisis.
“Every single instance of what I just described is solely because they’re Baha'is. Authorities often come without a warrant, give no explanation, and later invent charges like acting against national security, without a shred of evidence,” Sabetan said.
“It is pressure upon pressure. They can’t have a job, their stores are sealed, they can’t go to university, and they have no access to basic rights simply because they’re Baháʼís,” he added.
Human rights advocates say the renewed crackdown on Baha'is reflects a broader pattern of repression inside Iran, as the authorities tighten their grip amid economic decline and growing unrest.
For families like Shahidi-Birjandian’s, the cost of practicing their faith remains high.
Speaking during a parliamentary session reviewing his government’s first year under the Seventh Development Plan, Pezeshkian said the country’s strength rests on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s leadership, which he described as the anchor of national unity.
"The pillar of the country’s tent is the Supreme Leader," he said.
He added the turbulence of the June 12-day war with Israel had never shaken his confidence in Iran’s defense capabilities, but he feared that if anything happened to Khamenei, the country could fall into political infighting – a situation, he cautioned, that would serve Israel’s interests without further action.
"We can disagree with one another, but there is someone who ultimately makes the decisions. During the war I had no fear for myself, but I was worried that, God forbid, if something happened to the leader we would turn on one another – there would be no need for Israel to intervene... We must value him and stand firmly behind him."
Pezeshkian urged rival factions to avoid polarization and to reinforce “discipline, dialogue and cooperation” across institutions. He said the government was focused on economic recovery and stability, calling on lawmakers to help draft a deficit-free budget to curb inflation.
“Inflation rests on our shoulders – the government and parliament,” he said, admitting responsibility for economic hardship and calling for a smaller, more efficient state.
The president acknowledged widespread public frustration with living conditions, citing surveys showing discontent, and urged officials to “serve people without arrogance” rather than seeking political credit.
"It is our duty – we cannot govern while people go hungry. Set the budget so that livelihoods are the priority. I believe that if we do not resolve the public’s livelihood problems, we will go off course."
He also pointed to steps taken to reduce spending, promote renewable energy, and address water and energy shortages through scientific planning and cooperation with universities and regional authorities.
Pezeshkian said coordination among the government, judiciary and parliament had helped resolve several long-standing issues and expressed optimism that sustained cooperation could ease the country’s economic and social strains.
