The State Department condemned Iran’s intensified repression of Christians, including a Catholic woman on hunger strike in a prison known as one of the most brutal in the theocratic state.

The Trump administration statement on widespread human rights violations carried out by the Iranian regime coincides with new military strikes against it in response to Tehran’s attacks on commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Christian woman on hunger strike is 42-year-old Ghazal Marzban, who sits in Iran’s infamous Evin prison in Tehran, according to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). Iran sentenced Marzban, a Catholic, to nearly 10 years in prison for practicing her Christian faith, Iranian experts told Fox News Digital. Marzban’s physical health, as of late May, had deteriorated. Her current condition is not known.

IRAN REGIME ACCUSED OF KILLING 19 CHRISTIANS IN ANTI-REGIME PROTESTS AS PERSECUTION CONTINUES: WATCHDOG

It is unclear if the administration plans to ramp up pressure on Iran’s leaders for their widepsread persecution of religious minorities and opponents of the regime.

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, «We are aware of these reports. It is reprehensible that the Iranian regime continues to persecute religious minorities, including Iranian Christians.»

Article 18, an organization that promotes religious freedom in Iran, noted that following Marzban’s conversion, the Islamic law graduate was banned from taking her bar entry examination. Her husband, who also converted to Christianity, has been denied medicine for his Parkinson’s disease, according to Article 18.

Fox News Digital sent a press query to Iran’s U.N. Mission about Marzban and the plight of practicing Christians in Iran.

Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran on Jan. 9, 2026.   (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

The State Department spokesperson said, «In Iran, human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and religion or belief, are completely ignored. The regime targets members of religious and ethnic minority groups and uses tactics like arbitrary arrest and torture to intimidate opponents and silence dissent.»

After the regime reportedly murdered as many as 45,000 Iranian demonstrators within a 48-hour period in January, including as many as 22 Iranian Christians, the security forces of the regime arrested vast numbers of protestors.

Reports say the Iranian regime is seeking the eviction of families from the St. Peter’s Church compound, Critics say it sends a clear message of intimidation to the wider Christian community.  (Article 18)

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President Trump has cited the number of 45,000 Iranians killed by the regime. The State Department told Fox News Digital that Iran’s leaders should free those protesters still in detention.

«We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the people of Iran and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political and wrongfully detained prisoners, including those facing persecution for peacefully exercising their fundamental freedoms,» said the State Department spokesperson.

Lisa Daftari, an expert on Iran who is the editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital that the joint U.S.-Israel elimination of the former Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, in February, «Hasn’t eased pressure. On the contrary, we are seeing more escalation and the implementation of even more hardline influences.»

Daftari said the «Arrests of Christians jumped from 139 in 2024 to 254 in 2025, alongside longer and more frequent sentences. At least 11 people received over a decade. After the recent war, authorities claimed they had ‘neutralized’ 53 elements, which is how they refer to evangelical Christians. That is because the Islamic Republic views conversion as a security threat.»

Hengaw, an organization that monitors human rights violations in Iran, reported on its website on July 3 that the regime plans to seize the St. Peter Church in Tehran. Daftari said, «This is a large Christian compound with schools and family homes, and roughly 20 Armenian and Assyrian families are being expelled under a Revolutionary Court order that’s been sitting unused since 1998.»

Iranian authorities are reportedly evicting all those living in the compound of the church. (Article 18)

When asked about a policy response from the U.S., Daftari said, «If there’s going to be a response, it has to be targeted. That means sanctions on the specific judges, intelligence officials and IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] actors involved in cases like St. Peter Church and Marzban. And the transfer of church property to entities like EIKO [a business empire controlled by the late Khamenei] should be treated as state seizure, not an internal legal matter, and raised accordingly in international forums.»

Ramin, whose real name cannot be disclosed due to «security reasons,» an expert for Open Doors, a global Christian organization that aids persecuted Christians, told Fox News Digital, «The threatened confiscation of St Peter’s Evangelical Church in Tehran is deeply concerning and should not be viewed merely as a property dispute. It reflects a wider and long-standing pattern of pressure on Iran’s Christian communities, including recognized historic churches, Protestant communities, converts and reported cases involving Catholic converts.»

Ramin added, «St Peter’s is one of Iran’s historic Protestant churches, and the reported eviction of families from the compound sends a clear message of intimidation to the wider Christian community. Together with the arrest, detention and sentencing of Christian converts, including those from Catholic backgrounds, this shows that the Iranian authorities continue to treat the peaceful Christian faith as a security concern rather than as a basic right to freedom of religion or belief.»

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Mansour Borji, the executive director of Article 18, told Fox News Digital that «The targeting of Christians whom the founders of the Islamic Republic viewed as an ideological threat began from the earliest days of the revolution. This included both Catholic and Protestant communities. Within days of the 1979 revolution, the Rev. Arastoo Sayyah, an Anglican priest, was murdered in his office. Foreign missionaries were expelled within the first year and Christian schools, hospitals and churches soon came under increasing pressure.»

He added that, «Since 2008, Article18 has documented numerous confidential cases involving the arbitrary arrest of Catholic converts, harassment of church leaders, visa denials for clergy, the revocation of citizenship from a long-serving bishop and the confiscation and demolition of church property.»

A billboard depicting Iran’s supreme leaders since 1979: (L to R) Ayatollahs Ruhollah Khomeini (until 1989), Ali Khamenei (until 2026), and Mojtaba Khamenei (incumbent) is displayed above a highway in Tehran on March 10, 2026. Iran marked the appointment of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father as its supreme leader on March 9, 2026.  (AFP/Via Getty Images)

Borji continued, «The recent move against St. Peter’s Church is therefore not an isolated incident or a new development. It is part of a long-standing pattern of systematic pressure on independent Christian communities. The Islamic Republic is a totalitarian regime that has consistently sought to suppress any institution or community that operates outside its ideological control.»

In the wake of the intensified persecution of Iranian Christians, he warned that «If the Islamic Republic regains the capacity to project its ideology with renewed confidence, the consequences are likely to extend across the region and beyond.»

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He urged that perpetrators «face targeted sanctions, visa restrictions and asset freezes under existing human rights mechanisms.»

Borji said that «Governments, especially in the EU, U.K. and other trade partners, should also make religious freedom a consistent part of their engagement with Iran, rather than treating it as a secondary issue. Appeasing a regime that persecutes its own people has rarely produced moderation.»

Un adolescente de 13 años resultó herido el martes 7 de julio de 2026 después de que un rayo impactara su vivienda en Cypress, Texas, mientras utilizaba una computadora. El incidente, que generó daños materiales y requirió la intervención de servicios de emergencia, fue confirmado por autoridades locales y estatales.

De acuerdo con información proporcionada por la Oficina del Alguacil del Precinto 4 del Condado de Harris y difundida por ABC News, la descarga eléctrica, generada por el impacto del rayo, se transmitió a través del sistema eléctrico de la casa y alcanzó al menor, quien se encontraba jugando videojuegos en su dormitorio. El suceso también provocó un incendio menor en el ático y daños en el sistema de tuberías y electrodomésticos.

El caso se produjo en un contexto de condiciones meteorológicas adversas en la región de Houston, donde el pronóstico había anticipado tormentas eléctricas y chubascos aislados, según reportó el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional. El episodio evidencia los riesgos asociados al uso de dispositivos conectados a la red eléctrica durante tormentas.

Según la Oficina del Alguacil del Precinto 4 del Condado de Harris, el adolescente, identificado como Vladyslav Skuridin, se encontraba en su habitación utilizando una computadora cuando la vivienda fue alcanzada por un rayo. El impacto se produjo en medio de una tormenta eléctrica registrada en Cypress, un suburbio al noroeste de Houston.

El rayo originó una corriente eléctrica que se propagó por el cableado del inmueble, alcanzando una pieza metálica del escritorio que estaba en contacto directo con el menor. “Sentí una descarga eléctrica que recorrió todo mi cuerpo y vi una luz blanca muy brillante. De repente, reaccioné de golpe y me sentí muy mareado y confundido”, relató Skuridin en una declaración recogida por ABC News.

El padre del adolescente contactó inmediatamente a los servicios de emergencia, que acudieron al lugar junto con el Departamento de Bomberos de Cypress Creek. Los equipos evaluaron al menor en la vivienda y descartaron la necesidad de traslado hospitalario, de acuerdo con el reporte oficial de la Oficina del Alguacil del Precinto 4.

El impacto del rayo ocasionó un incendio de pequeña magnitud en el ático de la casa y provocó daños en la estructura del tejado, así como en el sistema de tuberías y varios electrodomésticos, según confirmó la madre del adolescente, Yuliia Skuridina, en declaraciones recogidas por ABC News.

El Departamento de Bomberos de Cypress Creek controló el fuego en pocos minutos y verificó que no existía riesgo adicional para los ocupantes. La revisión de daños identificó una rotura en la tubería de gas, que fue asegurada por los equipos técnicos.

La familia informó que el adolescente presentó una marca visible en el pecho tras la descarga, aunque se encuentra bajo observación médica preventiva. Los daños materiales están en proceso de evaluación para su reparación, de acuerdo con reportes oficiales citados por ABC News y el New York Post.

Tras el incidente, el agente Mark Herman, titular de la Oficina del Alguacil del Precinto 4, emitió una advertencia sobre los riesgos de utilizar dispositivos electrónicos conectados a la red eléctrica durante tormentas. “Durante las tormentas eléctricas, evite usar aparatos electrónicos con cable y manténgase alejado del cableado eléctrico y las tuberías, ya que los rayos pueden viajar a través del sistema eléctrico de una vivienda”, señaló Herman en un comunicado institucional reproducido por ABC News y medios locales como el New York Post.

El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional también recomienda, ante la presencia de tormentas eléctricas, permanecer en lugares cerrados, desconectar equipos electrónicos y evitar el contacto con instalaciones de agua o gas, ya que los rayos pueden desplazarse por estos sistemas.

El caso de Vladyslav Skuridin ilustra los peligros de utilizar computadoras u otros dispositivos electrónicos conectados a la red eléctrica durante tormentas. Los rayos pueden ingresar a las viviendas a través del sistema eléctrico o de las tuberías, produciendo descargas que afectan a personas en contacto con aparatos metálicos o conectados.

De acuerdo con la Asociación Nacional de Protección contra Incendios de Estados Unidos (NFPA), los rayos pueden viajar por cables eléctricos, líneas telefónicas, tuberías de plomería y otras vías conductoras. La NFPA recomienda desconectar computadoras, televisores y otros equipos electrónicos durante tormentas eléctricas para evitar daños y lesiones.

Según estadísticas del Centro Nacional de Datos Climáticos, los impactos de rayos provocan cada año entre 20 y 30 muertes y cientos de lesiones en Estados Unidos. Aunque la mayoría de los incidentes ocurre en actividades al aire libre, los casos de descargas en interiores no son infrecuentes, especialmente cuando se utilizan dispositivos conectados a la electricidad.

El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional informó que la región de Houston experimentó el 7 de julio un frente de tormentas eléctricas con precipitaciones aisladas y actividad eléctrica frecuente. Las autoridades locales reiteran la importancia de atender las recomendaciones, ya que las tormentas eléctricas pueden producir daños estructurales y cortes de energía.

Las autoridades del condado de Harris y el Departamento de Bomberos de Cypress Creek recordaron que la mejor protección ante una tormenta eléctrica es permanecer en el interior de edificios seguros, alejarse de ventanas y desconectar aparatos electrónicos. Además, se recomienda evitar el contacto con tuberías de agua o gas y no utilizar teléfonos fijos conectados por cable.

El pronóstico meteorológico para los días siguientes en la región de Houston mantiene la probabilidad de tormentas aisladas. Ante este panorama, los organismos de emergencia insisten en la adopción de medidas preventivas sencillas para reducir el riesgo de accidentes eléctricos.

El incidente en Cypress ha motivado a las autoridades locales y estatales a intensificar la comunicación sobre la prevención de accidentes eléctricos durante tormentas. Los servicios de emergencia han reforzado la vigilancia y la difusión de recomendaciones, mientras la familia afectada permanece en observación médica y técnica.

El departamento de policía y los bomberos continúan recabando información sobre la secuencia de eventos, en tanto que la comunidad ha respondido con interés a los comunicados oficiales. El caso sirve como recordatorio sobre la importancia de adoptar medidas de seguridad básicas en el hogar, especialmente durante fenómenos meteorológicos adversos.

Government regulations are adding nearly $132,000 to the cost of newly built houses, according to a new report released as Americans struggle to become homeowners.

The findings show that more than one-quarter of the final prices of newly constructed homes come as housing affordability remains a top concern nationwide, with elevated mortgage rates and limited inventory putting homeownership out of reach for many families.

The issue is also expected to be a key focus heading into the 2026 midterm elections, as lawmakers face growing pressure to address high housing costs and the affordability crisis overall.

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The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), which commissioned the report, argues that regulations imposed by federal, state and local governments have become a major driver of the nation’s housing shortage and affordability challenges.

The study found regulations add an average of $131,734 to the cost of a newly built home, representing 26.4% of the final sale price. The estimate, based on the average new-home price of $499,500, marks the largest increase between consecutive NAHB surveys since the organization began tracking the data in 2011.

Regulatory costs have climbed a whopping 40% since 2021.

«We update our study every five years and this reinforces what we have been saying all along — that the cost to build a single-family home in this country continues to escalate and exacerbate the housing affordability crisis,» NAHB President and CEO Jim Tobin told Fox News Digital. «We’re up 40% over the last five years, and now regulatory burdens at every level of government are totaling more than $130,000 for the cost of a new home.»

NAHB estimates the U.S. faces a structural housing shortage of 1.2 million homes, arguing rising regulatory costs make it more difficult to increase supply.

Tobin said regulatory costs vary across the country, with states in the Southeast, including Texas, Florida and the Carolinas, generally maintaining a lower-cost regulatory environment than states such as California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois.

AMERICANS KEEP MOVING TO TEXAS AND FLORIDA — BUT ONE OTHER RED STATE IS GROWING EVEN FASTER

The NAHB report comes as housing affordability remains a top concern nationwide, with elevated mortgage rates and limited inventory putting homeownership out of reach for many families. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

He also said he expects regulatory costs to continue rising, but believes policymakers can help slow the pace through reforms.

«Anything we can do to lower that cost, I think would be really important,» Tobin said.

He pointed to the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which would streamline permitting, reduce barriers to new construction and expand financing tools intended to increase the nation’s housing supply.

The White House and the Department of Housing and Urban Development did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the report’s findings.

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NAHB said the study is not intended to argue that all regulations should be eliminated but to quantify their cumulative effect on housing affordability.

«While regulations are important, they can go too far,» Tobin told Fox News Digital. «We need to make sure health and safety are protected while getting rid of the more onerous and costly regulations that do nothing more than drive up costs and keep Americans out of homeownership.»

The analysis is based on surveys of 54 land developers and 337 single-family builders conducted in March 2026.