By Gigi Kotze
Mr Masoud Pezeshkian has been elected as Iran’s new president, defeating his hardline conservative rival Mr Saeed Jalili. Mr Pezeshkian received 53.3% of the votes, while Mr Jalili got 44.3%. A second round of voting was necessary because no candidate won a majority in the first round which took place on 28 June. Voter turnout in the first round was low, reaching only 40%. The election date was moved up after the previous president, Mr Ebrahim Raisi, died in a helicopter crash in May, which also killed seven others.
Mr Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old heart surgeon, is known for his moderate views. He aims to reduce social restrictions and adopt a practical foreign policy. He plans to ease tensions and restart negotiations with major powers to revive a 2015 nuclear agreement. He also wants to improve social freedoms and political diversity in Iran. His main supporters are the urban middle class and young people who have been unhappy with strict security measures. Although Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei holds the ultimate power in Iran, the president can influence the country’s policy tone. Mr Pezeshkian will help choose Mr Khamenei’s successor, as he is now 85. Many world powers welcomed Mr Pezeshkian’s election, hoping he will seek peaceful solutions to tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme.
In a speech on Saturday 6 July, Mr Pezeshkian promised to be a leader for all Iranians. He said the government must be responsible and work on reforms. He noted the low voter turnout of 50% during the second round of voting and expressed his hope to lift U.S. sanctions and reduce the threat of war. Speaking from Iran’s capital of Tehran at the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, Mr Pezeshkian committed to lasting peace, regional cooperation, and positive interaction with the world.
According to Open Doors, converting from Islam to Christianity is illegal in Iran. The government has seen it as a Western attempt to weaken Islam and Iran’s Islamic government. Anyone found to be part of a house church can be charged with a crime against national security and face a long prison sentence. An Iranian friend of INcontext shared insights that the regime in Iran historically prefers ‘hardline leadership’. In the past decade, so-called reformist governments were allowed by the Ayatollah to appease Western interests while maintaining stability. Under the reformist government of Hassan Rouhani (2013 to 2021), Christians faced ongoing persecution, with restrictions on public worship. Since the death of the 22 year old Mahsa Amini in September 2022, while in custody of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), many western governments have come under pressure to designate the IRGC as a terrorist group, with Canada doing so on 19 June 2024. Our friend shares that it is thus likely that the Ayatollah allowed another reformist government to come into place in an attempt to prevent further Western nations from designating the IRGC as a terrorist group. The reform is thus focused on international relations and not on the status quo inside Iran. Our friend concludes that the authoritarian leadership of the Ayatollah has led and continues to lead many Iranians to be dissatisfied with Islam, and have caused them to find true hope in Jesus.
Romans 13:1 (NIV) says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” When Paul wrote this to the Church in Rome, their biggest enemy was the Roman government and Emperor Nero. Christians were persecuted for their faith in Jesus much like in Iran. God places every leader in authority and decides their rise and fall, the length of their rule, and their purpose. He can use both good and evil leaders for His purposes, whether to bless a nation, judge sin, or showcase His power. As Romans 9:17 (NIV) states, “For Scripture says to Pharaoh: ‘I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’” While Mr Pezeshkian promises peace and hope for Iran, we should pray that he and the Ayatollah come to know the true Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) and the source of living hope (1 Peter 1:3). As Christians, we can trust that God will use Mr Pezeshkian’s time as the president of Iran for His glory and purposes – no matter what it will look like.
Please join us in praying for the following:
- For President Pezeshkian and the Ayatollah to encounter Christ, be guided by God’s purposes, and lead Iran with wisdom and compassion
- That Muslims in Iran will be dissatisfied with Islam and encounter the love of Jesus Christ and be drawn to His truth and grace
- For believers in Iran to remain steadfast in their faith despite persecution, asking God to strengthen their resolve, grant them courage, and provide endurance to live out their faith boldly amidst challenges and opposition
