Saeed Abedini speaks out about marital strife

Pastor Saeed Abedini responded to questions about his marital problems Saturday, calling his wife, Naghmeh Abedini, a hero and saying he prayed for restoration in their relationship. Saeed, recently released from three years’ captivity in Iran, sent a statement to the Idaho Statesman, the newspaper in his hometown of Boise, giving his side of events since he returned to the United States less than two weeks ago.

“When I arrived in America, I went to the Billy Graham Training Center in North Carolina with my parents and my sister, fully expecting Naghmeh and our children to join me there,” he wrote. Instead, she stayed home in Idaho and filed a domestic relations case, similar to a legal separation. Saeed traveled to Idaho last week and was reunited with his children.

Saeed was taken prisoner in Iran in 2012 and given a sentence of eight years after he refused to recant his Christian faith. For years, Naghmeh led an international, public campaign for his release while also caring for their two young children. Last fall, she sent emails to supporters accusing Saeed of abuse and saying she needed to step out of the limelight. The Statesman reported Saeed pleaded guilty to domestic abuse in 2007 and was placed on probation for a year.

In November, Naghmeh said she regretted sending the emails about her and Saeed’s troubles. Last week, she wrote in a Facebook post that she regretted keeping the alleged abuse a secret during much of Saeed’s imprisonment and that her husband had been threatening and demanding in the past three months.

Saturday’s statement was Saeed’s first response to the allegations. He did an interview from North Carolina with Fox News, but did not discuss his marriage on the air. In his written statement, Saeed called untrue much of what Naghmeh has said about him publicly.

“I am a sinner, saved only by the wonderful grace of God. While I am far from perfect—as a man or as a husband—I am seeking every day to submit to God as He molds me into what He wants me to be,” he said. The couple is working on their problems, he said, which he thinks should be kept private.

“It is not my intention to speak further publicly—through social media or any other channels—at least until I believe we have made significant progress in private,” he said.