Netanyahu blasts Iran's Foreign Minister over jailing of Christian converts

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticized Iran's foreign minister over the arrests of Christians in the Islamic regime in the run up to Christmas.

In a video message posted on social media, Netanyahu pointed to a Christmas greeting posted by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Twitter before denouncing the Islamic Republic's treatment of its Christian minority.

"Get a load of this. A few days ago, Iran's foreign minister tweeted: 'A very happy and peaceful Christmas to all.' I wonder what the Christians jailed this month in Iran would think about that tweet," Netanyahu said, as reported by CBN News.

"Imagine praying quietly in your home, surrounded by your family – and all of the sudden, armed thugs burst in and drag you away to prison. They torture you merely for practicing your Christian faith. Welcome to Iran. Saying 'Merry Christmas' while jailing Christians in your own country is the height of hypocrisy," the Israeli prime minister went on to say.

On Dec. 16, Radio Farda, the Iranian branch of the US government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty external broadcast service, reported that Iranian security forces raided six house churches and detained four Christians converts two weeks before Christmas.

IRNA, the Iranian government's official news agency, reportedly defended the arrests and referred to the detained men as members of a "devious Christian cult," who were attempting to "disrupt the market and economic order."

Times of Israel noted that Islamic law plays a central role in the legal system in Iran, which defines itself as an Islamic republic.

The Iranian government claims to allow freedom of religion and has historically reserved five seats in its 290-member parliament for recognized religious minorities even since the Islamic revolution in 1979. Two seats are reportedly reserved for Christians, another two for Zoroastrians and one for a Jew.

However, Tehran has drawn criticisms from rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International over the mistreatment of Christian converts, as well as other religious and ethnic minority groups.

It was not the first time Netanyahu had called attention to the plight of Christians in Iran. In October, Netanyahu encouraged Christian journalists to highlight the persecution of the church in the Islamic regime.

He also urged the journalists to call out the "lies of President [Hassan] Rouhani, who promised in 2013 that all religions would quote 'feel justice' in Iran while so many Christians live there in constant terror."

Netanyahu had also dismissed Zarif's Jewish new year's greetings in 2013, saying it was intended as a distraction from Iran's development of nuclear weapons that would threaten Israel and the world at large.

In his latest video, the Israeli prime minister encouraged Christians to share his message and pray for the believers who are being persecuted in Iran. "We stand with you, brothers and sisters. The world stands with you," he said, addressing the Christians in Iran.