A Christian pastor in an Iranian hospital was snatched from his bed and beaten before being sent back to prison, his family claims.

Pastor Saeed Abedini, who has lived in the U.S. and has been imprisoned in Iran since 2012, was in a hospital for injuries reportedly sustained in prison when he was pulled out of bed and beaten, his family members told Fox News. He was then dragged back to Evin and Rajai Shahr prison.

"This news is devastating to our family," the pastor's wife, Naghmeh Abedini, told Fox News. "Saeed's family, who was present at the hospital when this occurred, witnessed the severe beatings that Saeed received- at one point seeing him collapse before being taken away.

"We're very concerned about his health."

Abedini, a U.S. citizen, has been in the hospital since March after allegedly suffering a beating at the hands of prison guards and other inmates. The pastor was told he would receive care for his severe injuries, including chronic stomach pain, but instead was chained and continuously beaten by guards, his family told Fox News.

Originally from Iran, Abedini worked as a Christian leader who helped build church communities for converts in the Muslim country. He was helping to build a secular orphanage when he was arrested, tried and imprisoned in September 2012 for his religious beliefs, according to Fox News.

It is not yet clear why Abedini was sent back to prison this time around.

"It is a very disturbing development that underscores what we have known from the very beginning- there is much upheaval and uncertainty in Iran," Jordan Sekulow, lawyer for the Abedini Family, told Fox News.

"We've been hopeful since Pastor Saeed has spent the last two months in the hospital, instead of a prison cell. But this unexpected move raises great concern," the lawyer said.

Nevertheless, Abedini's family will continue to fight for his release, Sekulow said.