Home Hotspot Nations HOTSPOT NATION: IRAN

HOTSPOT NATION: IRAN

By Isolde Doubell
07/08/2025

 

History

Iran, formerly known as Persia, is a country whose history spans thousands of years. It was part of the vast Persian Empire and as Christians, we recognise the names of the kings Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes from the Bible. The Persian Empire was defeated by Alexander the Great in 330 BC. Before the Muslim conquest of Persia in the 7th century, the main religion of Persia was Zoroastrianism, based on the teachings of the ancient prophet Zoroaster, who lived during the first half of the 1st millennium BC. But since the 7th century, Iran has become a country of mosques. Today, Iran is the centre of Shia Islam, which is unique in the Muslim world where most countries are predominantly Sunni.

Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Shah from 1941 to 1979) was less fundamental in his approach, and during his time, Iran was becoming increasingly Westernised. The streets of Tehran bore little resemblance to what they do today: other religions apart from Islam were tolerated, and the city was much like other Western cities, with cinemas, nightclubs, and women taking up positions in society and not compelled to wear coverings.

The Iranian Revolution in 1979 however, brought the sharpest of shifts. Led by Ayatollah Khomeini, the uprising against the Shah was fuelled by resentment of his opulent lifestyle, economic dissatisfaction, opposition to his authoritarian rule, and a rising wave of religious fundamentalism. The violent revolution brought about a complete reordering of society. Sharia law became the foundation of the state, and the Islamic Republic swiftly moved to suppress secularism, silence dissent, and impose rigid moral codes. It transformed one of the Middle East’s most modern societies into one of its most repressive. Women, particularly, faced severe restrictions.

The country was declared the Islamic Republic of Iran—one of three Islamic Republics in the world, the other two being Pakistan and Mauritania. Iranians are now considered Muslim by birth, regardless of whether they are Arab-speaking or Farsi-speaking (Persian). The only exceptions are people from historically Christian backgrounds, like Assyrians and Armenians, who can still worship freely—but not in Farsi. They are, however, considered second-hand citizens and treated as such.

 

Christianity in Iran

Steven Morales is a journalist and content editor for Radical, an organisation that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighbourhood and all nations. In his documentary on Iran (May 2023) “Hard to reach: Iran” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2LvaqX9nOQ&t=129s), he says the Iranian people are truth seekers and are not afraid to ask difficult questions. “The Islamic regime came into power when people were looking for hope on a wave of promises. But they were disillusioned and disappointed because poverty, discrimination, and corruption continued. The people’s disillusionment was not only with the government but also with Islam, because it is one and the same thing. There is no separation between state and religion. Their search for truth led many away from Islam—elsewhere, particularly Christianity”.

As a result, according to Elam Ministries—an organisation founded in 1990 by Iranian church leaders—more Iranians have become Christians in the last 20 years than in the previous 13 centuries put together since Islam came to Iran. In 1979, there were an estimated 500 Christians from a Muslim background in Iran. Today, there are hundreds of thousands—some say more than one million. Whatever the exact number, many Iranians are turning to Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

Dr Daniel Shayesteh, President of Exodus from Darkness, was born in northern Iran. He was once a devoted Muslim, a teacher of Islamic philosophy, and a key political leader during the Iranian Islamic Revolution. After rising through the ranks of revolutionary leadership, ideological conflict and disillusionment led to his arrest and death sentence—a crisis that ultimately became the turning point in his journey to faith in Jesus Christ. He says: “Many Iranians, especially the younger generation, have become disillusioned with Islam due to the harsh enforcement of Sharia law and the hypocrisy or oppression they have witnessed from religious leaders. The Islamic Republic’s use of religion as a tool of control and repression has caused many to reject Islam as an identity altogether. Christianity’s message of God’s unconditional love, personal relationship through Jesus Christ, and grace-based salvation offers such a huge contrast to the fear-based obedience and legalism often experienced under Islam. Many testimonies from Iranian converts mention how Jesus appears to them in dreams and visions, and they encounter His love, which immediately changes them.”

As Iranians encounter Jesus, they are often miraculously freed from addiction, healed of disease, delivered from depression, or restored in marriage. Despite censorship, many Iranians access Christian content through satellite TV (e.g., SAT-7, Mohabat TV), VPNs, social media, and Persian Bible apps. This access allows them to explore Christianity privately and ask deep questions without fear.

 

Persecution

Christians in Iran have every reason to be afraid. Iran is ranked 9th on the Open Doors World Watch List of Persecuted Countries. It is illegal to own a Bible, and according to Iranian law, it is illegal for a Muslim to convert to another religion. Apostasy (abandoning Islam) is punishable by imprisonment and even death under certain interpretations of Islamic law.

After the 2010s, all Farsi-speaking churches were forced to close. As a result, Christian house churches were forced to go underground. Meetings are usually held in homes with small groups to avoid detection. They do not always know of one another. One believer told Steven Morales in his documentary that they had to flee a religious Islamic city, thinking they were only a few Christians there—but later found out there were around 500 house churches in that city.

Dr. Daniel Shayesteh confirms Iran is currently home to one of the fastest-growing underground Christian movements in the world. “These believers are boldly sharing the Gospel, despite the risks. The movement is largely led by laypeople, including women, without formal theological training. Discipleship is often done through online tools, encrypted chat apps, and short-term visits by trainers from outside Iran. The structure is intentionally decentralised to make it harder for authorities to dismantle the entire movement. Persecution is very real.”

Christians, especially those involved in house churches, face arrest, long interrogations, harsh prison sentences, fines, and torture. Charges often include “acting against national security” or “propagating Zionist Christianity.” Christians may lose jobs, be denied education, or sometimes be disowned by their families—although many Christians say their families were not the ones persecuting them the most severely; it was the government. Families often also come to Christ. Some believers are forced to flee the country or live in exile.

According to Daniel, the government sees Christianity not just as a religious alternative but as a Western cultural invasion that undermines the ideological foundations of the Islamic Republic: “The growth of Christianity represents a direct challenge to the regime’s power. Christianity is often associated with Persian (Farsi)-speaking converts. Since Islam in Iran is deeply embedded in Arabic traditions, the clerical elite are wary of Persian spiritual independence. They also equate Christianity with the spread of espionage, sedition, or foreign conspiracy—especially tied to Western nations or Israel. “

 

Great Challenges

Nima Alizadeh, a former Iranian national basketball athlete, was forced to leave his country and his dreams when he converted to Christianity. He now trains Iranian church leaders for gospel ministry and translates resources into Farsi. In his interview with Steven Morales on the Radical documentary, he says the biggest need for Christians in Iran is sound teaching: “There is widespread false teaching because Christians get a lot of their theology from satellite television, and not everything is good. The prosperity gospel is the number one challenge. Another challenge is that some churches try to copy Western Christianity into Iran.  It will not be welcome in that way—it needs contextualisation. There is a thirst there; they have the fear of God, but they are misled. There are many godly people who are ready to sacrifice and to preach the gospel. We should help them.”

Luke Harper, a global strategist for Radical, says there has been a huge surge of interest and growth in the church, but the growth has been difficult to sustain because, sadly, there’s often a lack of theological depth and healthy leadership: “In June, I sat with a Persian brother who has spent the past 15 years labouring to train leaders one-on-one, and he admitted to me, ‘I’m discouraged.’ He went on to say how hard it is to find men of deep character who have a sincere love of the Bible and the people of God. I assured him that’s not just a Persian problem, but a worldwide problem. Still, we should pray for strong shepherds to lead weak and vulnerable flocks and to focus on deep discipleship. Please pray for our work as we seek to disciple Iranian believers, strengthen churches, and connect them with needed resources.”

Although many Iranians are turning to Christ, a huge number are also becoming atheists. According to a 2020 Dutch poll done by the Gamaan Institute (forfulgtekristne.dk), 8.8% of the population identified themselves as atheists. We can pray that these Iranians will not go from one darkness to another, but will encounter the “Light of the World”, Jesus Christ.

 

War with Israel

In 2024, following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Israel significantly diminished Iran’s reach in the Middle East in its retaliation against Iran’s major allies. Although the primary conflict that year was Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, Israel also decapitated the Iran-aligned group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which in turn facilitated the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria in December.

Israel and Iran twice exchanged direct strikes in 2024. According to analysts, these incidents not only damaged Iran’s military capabilities but also revealed its vulnerabilities in defending strategic military assets, as well as its limitations in penetrating Israel’s defences. With Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” dismembered and its weaknesses laid bare, top Israeli figures saw a window of opportunity to take out Iran’s nuclear capabilities. As fighting increased on both sides, the United States got involved, targeting the most critical and fortified sites in Iran’s nuclear programme. A ceasefire was announced on June 24, bringing the 12-day war to an end.

Christians in Iran are, however, facing a renewed wave of persecution, with 43 believers arrested across 21 cities since 25 June, when the ceasefire with Israel came into effect.

With the Iranian regime’s obsession to destroy Israel as a Jewish state, and with the country’s remarkable growth in new converts, Iran will surely remain a Hotspot Nation in the foreseeable future.

 

Please join us in prayer:

  • Pray for the Church in Iran to stay strong, to keep their focus on Jesus, the author and perfecter of their faith, and to remain faithful despite severe persecution.
  • Pray for good leadership in the Church and for the people who are supporting the Church from the West to have wisdom—to deliver sound doctrine and to disciple God’s people well.
  • Pray for persecuted Christians who are mistreated and in prison. Hebrews 13:3 says: “Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”
  • Pray for the peace agreement between Iran and Israel to last, and for God’s Kingdom to come in Iran.

 

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