IRAN: CHRISTIANS IN THE LINE OF FIRE
Economic strain and protests
Iran’s economy is in a crisis and the people who feel it most are those on the ground. The Iranian rial lost approximately 90% of its value against the dollar over the past year and inflation exceeded 40% in December. This resulted in basic goods being unaffordable for millions and it fueled widespread anger and desperation. The country’s oil revenues, as a crucial source of state income, were severely constrained by renewed sanctions, and the government failed to offer viable economic policies to address the crisis. The result was a perfect breeding ground for the uprising of 28 December 2025 when the merchants in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar – a place historically central to the 1979 revolution – closed their shops in protest and the bazaar quickly became a focal point of confrontation, with witnesses describing it as a “war zone”. Demonstrations spread to Mashhad, Shiraz, and other major cities with calls for the fall of the clerical establishment. A severe and brutal crackdown followed and on 8 January the country was subjected to a near-total internet shutdown and communication blackout, severely hampering internal and external reporting of events. Nobody can say for sure how many protesters were killed or detained. Authorities had verified at least 5,000 people had been killed, but humanitarian agencies and people working in hospitals said numbers could be as high as 12 000 with more than 10 000 people arrested. Even the lowest estimates suggest that this is one of the deadliest uprisings in decades.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, has survived five major uprisings since his rule started in 1989. He accused the US and Israel of supporting and equipping those who took to the streets and said: “The Islamic Republic came to power through the blood of hundreds of thousands of honourable people. It will not back down in the face of vandals.”
Christians in Iran
Dr. Daniel Shayesteh, President of Exodus from Darkness, was born in northern Iran. He was once a devout Muslim, a teacher of Islamic philosophy, and a key political leader during the Iranian Islamic Revolution, but he met Jesus Christ and his life was turned around. He says, “Christians, particularly converts from Islam and house church leaders, are viewed as a security threat by Iranian authorities. Muslims converting to Christianity and engaging in unofficial Christian gatherings are criminalised and subject to long prison sentences and in some cases, death. There are reports that Christians have been among those detained in the recent protests and have even been killed by state security forces during the crackdown. The Islamic regime sometimes uses accusations of ‘espionage’ or ‘security threats’ as a pretext to target Christians. With the internet and communication services shut down nationwide, Christian communities inside Iran have had great difficulty communicating, both among themselves and with the outside world. That is why it is hard to speak about the Christians’ situation with confidence now. Church leaders and allied ministries outside of Iran have issued calls for prayer, support, and international advocacy specifically for Iranian Christians affected by the violence and repression. While the scale and intensity of recent protests are among the largest seen in years, the regime in Iran has largely succeeded, for now, in suppressing street protests through force and communications blackouts.”
Illustrating how Christians are targeted whenever there is conflict, Open Doors reported that when the conflict between Israel and Iran intensified last year, the oppression of converts, who were seen as sympathising with ‘the West’, also increased. In the immediate aftermath of the ceasefire with Israel, at least 54 Christians were arrested in 21 cities, accused of committing espionage. The Christian community can again be very vulnerable in the aftermath of the uprising.
Although official statistics still put the number of Muslims in Iran above 90%, most sources, including a 2020 Dutch poll done by the Gamaan Institute, say more than half the population have turned from Islam because they are disillusioned with the government. Millions have become atheists. (8.8% according to the Gamaan survey). A friend of INcontext who had to leave Iran, but still has close ties, says, “The younger generations increasingly reject mandatory hijab laws and the state-enforced religious identity. This cultural shift has positioned Iran as one of the fastest-secularizing societies in the Middle East, directly challenging the ideological foundations of the regime.” Hundreds of thousands of Iranians have also turned to Christ. The Iranian evangelical Church is underground as they are severely persecuted. Apostasy laws criminalise conversion from Islam—punishable by death. Numbers are uncertain, but it is believed that there are more than a million believers in Iran and that despite the hardship, the Church is growing. Christians are still, however, less than 2% of the population and the global Church can pray that the Iranians who long for freedom, for food, for security and for a life, will find Jesus, the source of all that is good.
Steven Morales, content editor for Radical, an organisation that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighbourhood and all nations, writes fittingly: “When people reach this level of disappointment, they begin asking honest questions: “If this is really God—if it is really all about Allah—why does it feel so cruel?” And that is often exactly where they find Jesus. Even with internet blackouts and surveillance, people find cracks—VPNs, satellite television, secret house gatherings—and they hear the gospel. They find a Farsi Bible and suddenly encounter a God who heals, who carries burdens, who lays down his life instead of taking theirs. The Iranian church needs discipleship and strong leaders, and God is moving. Underground fellowships are multiplying. Hearts are waking up. Psalm 34 tells us that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted—and that is Iran: broken hearts finding the One who never breaks them.”
