Iran International
Authorities in the central Iranian city of Isfahan have begun seizing homes and assets from members of the Bahá’í religious minority by text message—an unprecedented move a community spokesperson called “economic strangulation” that has mostly targeted women.
“This is the first time we know of that the government has used text messages to order confiscations,” Farhad Sabetan, spokesperson for the Baha’i International Community (BIC) told Iran International.
“What we are witnessing is nothing less than economic strangulation of the Baha’i community—families are deprived of their livelihoods overnight, without due process, without even a court order.”
Bahais constitute the largest religious minority in Iran and have faced systematic harassment and persecution since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Iran does not recognize the Baha’i faith as an official religion, unlike Christianity, Judaism, or Zoroastrianism. Authorities label it a “cult” with alleged foreign ties—charges its followers reject.
The BIC said the seizures included homes, vehicles, and other assets, carried out under Article 49 of Iran’s constitution, a clause designed to reclaim property gained through illicit activities such as theft or drug trafficking. In practice, Sabetan said, it is being misused “to plunder the possessions of citizens who have committed no crime other than being Baha’i.”
According to the BIC, families were ordered by text to present themselves to court or face arrest. Some later discovered blocked bank accounts, frozen business transactions, and restrictions on selling property. In several cases, court files were not recorded in Iran’s official judicial notification system, preventing defendants and their lawyers from reviewing them.
The confiscations come as Iranian authorities step up pressure on Baha’is, accusing them without evidence of spying for Israel. While thousands of Baha’i-owned properties have been seized since the 1979 revolution, rights groups say the new reliance on digital notices reflects a more brazen, impersonal stage of repression.
Sabetan said that the majority of those targeted in Isfahan are women—many engaged in teaching and community service. “It may not be coincidental,” he said. “After the Women, Life, Freedom movement, the government has been cracking down on women broadly. Now Baha’i women are being targeted in the same way—mothers and educators denied the ability to care for their families or live normal lives.”
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Baha’is account for more than 70 percent of all documented violations against religious minorities in Iran over the past three years. At least 284 Baha’is have been arrested in the past five years, receiving a combined 1,495 years in prison sentences.
“What the Iranian government is doing amounts to a gradual death sentence,” Sabetan said. “They may not execute Baha’is as they did in the early years of the revolution, but by stripping them of work, property, and dignity, they are trying to erase our community.”
“Today America and some European countries are seeking to expand unilateralism and impose their views on other nations,” Pezeshkian said, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA. “This approach has not been and will not be tolerable for you or for us.”
Pezeshkian, who arrived in Belarus on Tuesday night, said Tehran and Minsk enjoyed “broad common ground” not only in bilateral relations but also in regional and international forums, citing the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS as platforms for cooperation.
“Western countries led by America want to force us to move according to their will,” he said. “But Iran and Belarus believe they lack nothing compared with countries that impose sanctions, and that together they can overcome sanctions and difficulties.”
Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia, welcomed Pezeshkian and said: “Belarus is a friendly country and a reliable partner for Iran. You have come to a friend.” He assured his Iranian counterpart that Minsk wanted to expand cooperation and resolve obstacles to existing agreements.
"In conditions of geopolitical turbulence, Minsk and Tehran are undertaking consistent and balanced steps to further develop cooperation, and are working hard to turn each new challenge into a new opportunity," Belarusian state news agency Belta quoted Lukashenko as saying.
"We are ready to discuss any issues, we have no closed topics," Lukashenko said, adding that the two countries could partner across a range of areas including "military-technical cooperation".
Recalling his own visit to Tehran, Lukashenko said: “I have very good memories from this trip, especially the meeting with the Supreme Leader of Iran. I ask you to convey my best wishes to him. I believe that there are no closed paths before us and we can elevate our relations to the highest levels.”
The two leaders witnessed the signing of 12 cooperation documents in areas including politics, international law, tourism, culture, media, health, pharmaceuticals, industry, environment, free zones, special economic zones and investment, as well as a joint statement.
Pezeshkian also laid a wreath at Minsk’s Victory Square memorial before beginning his official meetings. His trip to Belarus followed a state visit to Armenia earlier this week.
“In recent weeks, multiple reports have surfaced about a facility in Shahin Shahr officially designated as a ‘prison employment site,’ which in practice has become a warehouse for holding hundreds of inmates in harsh, inhuman conditions,” the group said.
The facility is described as a large warehouse with a small yard fenced off with barbed wire, lacking the basic standards of an official prison. Photographs published by the group show the area but do not provide verifiable coordinates due to concealment and security measures.
“Despite its name, no job training or rehabilitation takes place there. Instead, around 100 prisoners are bussed out daily from 5 a.m. and put to work in conditions resembling forced labor.”
Iran International can not independently verify the report.
Harsh conditions and deprivation
Prisoners endure overcrowding without cooling or ventilation systems, the rights group added. Water and electricity are cut for three days each week, and detainees are given only minimal food.
“Food and bread are provided in very small and poor-quality amounts… daily rations are just two loaves of bread and low-quality food.”
No medical services are available, and the only drugs regularly distributed are sedatives and methadone, pushing many inmates to forced consumption, wrote the Iran Human Rights Society.
“Reports from Shahin Shahr prison paint a disturbing picture of a hidden and illegal detention site… a place for added deprivation, forced labor, and psychological and physical pressure,” the report said, urging international bodies to press Iran to meet its human rights obligations.
