Iran (MNN) — Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian announced this week that internet access will soon be restored to Iran. The news comes after nearly three straight months of a government-imposed blackout, according to internet monitor NetBlocks.
An Iranian court has suspended the presidential order for further judicial review, but shifts have already begun.
Edwin Abnous with Heart4Iran said on Tuesday, “Even though NetBlocks confirmed that there has been a partial restoration of internet connectivity, even then this communication is still not back to the normal [levels] yet.”
Photo of Tehran, Iran courtesy of Hamid Mohammad Hossein Zadeh Hashemi via Unsplash.
Meanwhile, the United States strikes on southern Iran this week have stirred up more uncertainty for Iranian families. Abnous says they already carry a heavy load.
“The economic pressure, the fear of another round of strikes or retaliation, and just not knowing what tomorrow is going to bring, it’s there,” he says.
The US strikes (which it claims were defense measures) have not derailed a potential deal between the US and Iran. If agreed upon, the deal will set a 60-day negotiation period for further dialogue.
“They’re really worried about their future. They don’t know what this war is going to bring them,” says Abnous about Iranians. “They thought it was a short-term war [where] they’re going to change the regime around, and we’re going to experience freedom in the country. But the war is dragging longer than what they expected.”
Lost school days, soaring food prices, and gaps in medical care are all part of the daily human cost of war for Iranians. Yet Abnous says tragedy has opened peoples’ hearts to God.
“People [who] might not have been interested before suddenly want to talk about hope, about what happens after life,” says Abnous. “They want to have peace in their hearts, and naturally, especially for Iranians, they gravitate towards God more.”
Heart4Iran’s Christian satellite TV signals can’t really be jammed by outside forces. Please pray that the gospel reaches more families in Iran. Pray for them to find their hope and future in God, whatever political events unfold.
“That is where they hear the message of the gospel,” Abnous says about Heart4Iran‘s broadcasts. “They’ll understand [the gospel] is the place they can rest in God and receive assurance for the future — and also for their soul and spiritual needs.”
Header photo: Babolsar, Mazandaran Province, Iran (Stock photo courtesy of Amirhosain Gazor via Unsplash)
