Our hearts are breaking for Turkey and Syria. Two massive earthquakes on February 6th have caused unthinkable devastation. The death toll is in the thousands and is rapidly rising. Countless families are homeless or displaced, sheltering outside in freezing conditions.

There are many Iranian Christian refugees in Turkey and many Persian-speaking churches. Having connected with some of the pastors and leaders, I know they are witnessing deep suffering.

When security forces fired on protesters during a demonstration in late 2022, 15-year-old Behnam was among the wounded. Afraid to seek help at the hospital for fear of being arrested, Behnam had nowhere to turn for help.

Dear friends,

Iran has been enduring deep suffering and the situation is getting even harder. For over 43 years people of all backgrounds and faiths have suffered injustice, oppression, and persecution under the Islamic regime. Recent weeks have shown once again that the Iranian government is willing to commit crimes against its own people. We all long for a day when Iranians can live in a more righteous society without fear of their government.

Heavenly Father,

With a breaking heart, I lift up my country to you.

𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵

As we watch the pain, sorrow and violence spreading across Iran right now, we thank you that you are the God of all comfort.

We've long been aware of the widespread disillusionment with the regime in Iran among ordinary Iranians.
Now 'The Economist' is reporting it too:


"The spiritual gap between Iran’s Shia ayatollahs and the people they rule is widening. The strictures of the theocracy and the doctrine of Shia supremacy alienate many. So...

A new survey by a secular research body has shed new light on the religious leanings of ordinary Iranians.
In the survey by Netherlands-based researchers GAMAAN, 1.5% of respondents identified as Christian. This means that there are almost certainly over one million Christians in Iran, confirming what observers have been saying for several years about...

Maryam*, a single mum with two young children, has been following Jesus for about a year. Amid the coronavirus lockdown Maryam lost her job and - with no income  - her cupboards soon became bare.
Finally, one agonising night, Maryam had to put her kids to bed hungry. In anguish she cried out, “Jesus, have you forgotten us?”



As she slept, Maryam had a...

Dear friends,
 
You've likely heard that Iran has been hit with an outbreak of the coronavirus.
 
I want to ask you to pray with us for this situation, which is having a significant impact on Iranian society as a whole, as well as on the church.

 
While Iran's government has acknowledged 139 cases of infection and 19 deaths, from our people on the ground, we are aware...

You may be aware that ongoing popular protests sprang up across Iran in mid-November. Initially sparked by a sudden rise in fuel prices, the protestors soon started expressing a broader range of grievances.
 
We would like to ask you to pray for the nation of Iran at this time of confusion, deep frustration, and grief. We have heard many stories from people who have...

The recent death of an Iranian female football fan has refocused attention on the discrimination women face at every turn in Iran.
On 2nd September Sahar Khodayari was charged with ‘appearing in public without a hijab (headscarf),’ after having tried to enter a football stadium disguised as a man in March. She set herself on fire in protest and died in hospital...

Along with the rest of the Muslim world, Iran is currently fasting for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Restaurants and cafes are obliged to close so that people abstain from eating, drinking and smoking during daylight hours.


At night everything changes. There is almost a festival atmosphere in the air. Families and friends gather to break the fast as night...

Thank you for praying with us as Iran has been suffering widespread and devastating flooding. Please continue to pray: although the story is no longer in the headlines, the nation is still in the midst of a catastrophe.
 
76 have now been reported dead with many people still missing. Hundreds of thousands remain displaced and grieving. The damage caused is reportedly...

Heavy rains have caused severe floods to sweep across Iran in the past two weeks, causing widespread destruction of homes, communities and infrastructure, and causing the deaths of at least 62 people. Iran is shocked and grieving.


Watch a video of the flooding in one city [disturbing scenes].


Heavy rainfall
After suffering from a decades-long...

A number of women across Iran have been publicly protesting against the compulsory hijab (head scarf). In a movement which began on 27th December 2017, women have been removing their head coverings in public and posting images and videos of themselves on social media as acts of civil disobedience. The government has now arrested dozens of these women, dubbed ‘The Girls...

At least 445 Iranians were killed and over 7000 injured* after a devastating earthquake struck the Iran-Iraq border on 12 November 2017.
This has been reported as the deadliest quake in the world this year. The earthquake was felt as far as Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. At least 7 people were also killed in Iraq.
...

As family and friends gather together to celebrate the popular Persian festival of Yalda Night (or Shab-e Yalda) on 21 December, Christians in Iran have a great opportunity to share their faith. They would appreciate prayer for their boldness, for anointed words, and for their protection.
Yalda Night is a holiday celebrated by all Iranians, regardless of...

Tehran is an important city, but breathing is a consistent problem: 3,000 people die a year because of air pollution.
Carbon monoxide from thousands of cars is kept hanging in the air for hours because the Alborz Mountains in the east of the city traps the winds coming from the west. Periodic sand storms don’t help. The problem has been getting a lot worse. ...

Iran is celebrating 24 medals at the Paralympic games, including 8 golds, but there is also mourning over the death of cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad.  The athlete, who died on Sunday 18 September following a crash in a race the previous day, is the first athlete to die during a Paralympic competition.  A moment’s silence was observed in Iran to mark Golbarnezhad’s death...

‘Iran, first country to ban Pokemon Go’ ran the headlines earlier this month. And then a little further down the story the journalist would explain how internet-savvy young Iranians are already trying to work out how to get round this latest ban.
Iran’s attempts to control the internet have generally not been successful. Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Telegram...

On 4th July Abbas Kiarostami died, aged 76. He was Iran’s most famous film director.
There were many tributes. Martin Scorsese said he was ‘deeply shocked and saddened’; President Rouhani said Kiarostami’s work was an ‘everlasting achievement.’ For the funeral on the 10th of July thousands lined the streets of Tehran to say farewell. 
Abbas Kiarostami’s...