Iran (MNN) — Last week, indirect talks between Iran and the US mediated by Oman ended with hope for another round of negotiations. Yet within Iran, dialogue is dangerous as the government cracks down on dissenting voices.
This week, Iranian security forces have arrested at least four members of Iran’s reformist movement. This movement seeks to change the regime from the inside out. A January statement from this group called for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to resign and a transitional government to step in.
The most recent protests in Iran began in Tehran on December 28, 2025 as shopkeepers protested the plummeting value of the Iranian rial. (Stock photo courtesy of Ashkan Forouzani via Unsplash)
“We still can’t say definitively whether [regime change] will happen or not, but there is a resolve inside of the Iranian people that we have not seen in these last 45 years,” says Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations says.
Yet the human cost has been high. Eleven days after protests began on December 28, 2025 over economic issues, the government shut down the internet and employed lethal force against demonstrators. The severity has only deepened since then.
“We’re hearing the numbers are so underreported — not people who are just being imprisoned or taken into custody, but people who are being killed, [it] is so underreported,” says Kelley.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Group has verified 6,961 people killed in Iran and is investigating over 11,700 more reports. Others believe that tens of thousands of Iranians may have lost their lives.
The spiritual side
The political and physical realities that Iranians face influence their spiritual realities, too. “The [Iranian] people are searching for truth,” says Kelley. “They’re searching for hope, and that’s what makes Jesus and the gospel so appealing right now.”
You can stand for Iranians by praying that they discover the good news of Christ amid the chaos of today. Consider partnering with Unknown Nations to strengthen believers. Pray for the future of the Iranian church.
“People need to be praying that the Lord would raise up leaders. That’s what we do at Unknown Nations. We train Persian leaders outside of the country of Iran, because doing things inside of Iran is almost impossible,” says Kelley. “As soon as there’s regime change, there’s going to be an enormous wave of Christian leaders who are Persian speakers moving into that country.”
Header photo: Tafresh, Markazi Province, Iran (Photo courtesy of Mostafa Meraji via Unsplash)
