Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has admitted to arresting more than 50 Christians since the end of the war with Israel in June. Many of them remain detained. The Christians are accused of involvement in “anti-security” activities. 

Monday, August 18, 2025

Our friend Morad* is currently serving a prison sentence in Iran for his Christian faith and ministry. Morad has endured great suffering for his faith, and yet as people have upheld him in prayer, he has been able to cling onto hope and even joy in Jesus.

Friday, July 18, 2025

Please pray for the family of Iranian Christian Rasool Abdollahi, who passed away unexpectedly on July 1st at home in Iran.

Rasool was a gentle and courageous man of God who stood firm in his faith, even during nearly two years of imprisonment for following Jesus. Released over a decade ago, he remained in Iran afterward as a faithful witness to Christ.

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Iranians are turning to Christ in droves. Yet, most believers in Iran do not enjoy regular fellowship with others. Some – who came to faith through TV or online ministry - have never even met another Christian in person!

The truth is that Christians grow best in community. When believers can gather, their faith not only endures but flourishes

Thursday, November 28, 2024

At the Fourth Lausanne Congress in Seoul, South Korea in September, Elam team members Farshid Fathi and Sara Akhavan had the opportunity to share their stories of being persecuted in Iran for their faith.

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Sunday, November 3rd is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP). We warmly invite you and your church to pray for Iran this year.
I can confidently say that your prayers make a difference for those suffering for their faith. I've spoken to many Iranian believers who - under great pressure - have felt strengthened and upheld as believers around the world have prayed for them.

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Yasin Mousavi, a Christian in Iran, has just received a 15-year prison sentence for his ministry.

He was arrested on Christmas Eve 2023 in his home city, Izeh, then held in detention for four months before being released on bail in April. During his detention, Yasin endured 20 days of solitary confinement.

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

In January we requested prayer in light of a wave of arrests of Christians in Iran over the Christmas period and into the new year.

There have been developments for some of the individuals highlighted in our January Persecuted but not forsaken prayer resource.

Monday, January 22, 2024

Christmas was both a joyful and a challenging time for the Iranian church.

Many people came to church meetings in the Iran region and heard the Gospel for the first time, invited by Iranian Christian friends and neighbors.

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Three Christians detained for their Christian faith and ministry in Iran have been released in recent weeks. Meanwhile, a fourth has begun serving a 10-year sentence in Evin prison.

Through August’s Persecuted but not forsaken prayer resource, we requested prayer for Joseph Shahbazian (who had been serving a two-year sentence in Evin Prison), and for "F" and "B" (who had been detained since mid-July).

Friday, August 25, 2023

Recently, Elam's executive director, David Yeghnazar, had the privilege of talking in depth with a courageous church planter, Morad*, who spent months in detention for his faith earlier this year.

Morad shared that whenever he was allowed out in the prison yard for his daily exercise, he would pray and worship. “In the Spirit,” he explained, “I could clearly sense the prayers of other believers with me… this really carried me.”

Thursday, July 27, 2023

More than 50 Christians are known to have been arrested in Iran in the past few weeks by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence. Some of the Christians have been released following interrogation, while others remain detained.

Monday, June 26, 2023

Thank you for praying for Christians suffering for their faith in Iran using our monthly Persecuted but not forsaken resource. We are delighted to report good news regarding three individuals.

In April, we asked you to pray for Homayoun and Sara, a married couple preparing for retrial. Sara was serving an eight-year sentence while Homayoun, who suffers with severe Parkinson's disease, was serving two years because of involvement with house churches. Wonderfully, they were both acquitted and released on May 9th by the appeal court.

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Thank you for praying for the Iranian church over Easter. Wonderfully, a number of Iranians put their trust in Jesus at special Easter gatherings. One of them was teenager Parvaneh, who lives in a country in the Iran region.

Parvaneh's parents are mature Christians and graduates of Elam's three-month course. They were heartbroken that their daughter's heart was hard to the Gospel. Having been counseled by their pastor, they persevered in prayer.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Some readers may find the following distressing.

Christian believers in Iran are facing increasingly severe persecution for their faith. A tightening of the penal code in 2021 means more believers are facing harsh sentences, and - although exact numbers are difficult to establish - it seems more Christians are being arrested and interrogated.

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress”
Psalm 91:2

We invite you to use this month’s Persecuted but not Forsaken resource to pray for three brothers who are currently imprisoned for their faith in Iran, and to praise God for two people who have recently been released.

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Each November, on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, the global Church unites to pray for Christians who are enduring persecution. This year, Christians will be interceding on Sunday, November 6th.

Christians suffer persecution or discrimination in countless places around the world, as do other religious minority groups. In some places Christians are targeted with violence from hostile non-state assailants, such as in Nigeria. In others, Christians face discrimination and persecution directly from the government, such as in Iran.

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

We rejoice that Christian prisoners Nasser Navard Goltapeh and Fariba Dalir have recently been released from Evin prison, Tehran.

61-year-old Nasser was pardoned by the Supreme Leader and released on October 17th after spending nearly five years behind bars. This surprising development comes after Nasser was repeatedly denied retrial or parole over the past few years.

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Christian prisoner Mehri has recently been informed that her request to join a scheme that would allow her to see more of her three children (aged 7, 11 and 16) has been denied.

Sakine (Mehri) Behjati began serving a two-year sentence for “spreading ‘Zionist’ Christianity” in April

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

We praise God that more than 100 Iranians and Afghans went through the waters of baptism recently.

At a large service in a country near to Iran, these new believers - many of whom had come to faith as a result of recent Persian New Year outreach - made a public declaration of their faith. Among their number was Ali.