On Tuesday, United States President Donald Trump extended the US ceasefire with Iran, but also promised to continue the US blockade of Iranian ports until Iran had put forward a ceasefire proposal.  This did not make Iran happy. On Wednesday, Iran’s navy seized two ships that it claimed were “attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz covertly.”

Later on Wednesday, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stated that reopening the Strait of Hormuz would be “impossible” while the US and Israel committed “flagrant” breaches of the ceasefire, The Guardian reports. 

Amid the back-and-forth of the Middle East conflict, Brother M with Global Catalytic Ministries says victory won’t be decided by who has the best weapons. Instead, the question will be, Which nation’s systems will endure the longest?

(Photo courtesy of Lara Jameson/Pexels)

“Energy infrastructure is being targeted specifically. Shipping routes are being threatened,” Brother M says. That includes not only the Strait of Hormuz but also the Red Sea, which the Houthi rebels in Yemen are affecting. 

From Iran’s position, Brother M says the strategy goes beyond winning individual battles. 

“The goal is to try to apply pressure across an entire society in the West, which is really the new standard for warfare. It stretches systems — until something breaks,” he says. 

Rising gas prices and energy shortages are only the tip of the fallout of the past nearly eight weeks of the US-Israel war on Iran. Brother M says it has become a regional war. On that level, Brother M says a new Middle East is being shaped, which he sees as an outworking of Isaiah 19. 

“[Isaiah 19] describes an entire region in turmoil. It speaks of Egypt in a state of confusion, that there’s internal strife, economic disruption, fear, systems not functioning the way that they should,” he said.

(Photo courtesy of Jonathan Castaneda via Unsplash)

“It doesn’t stop there. It moves towards something that we have not yet seen but is happening, and things are being put into place. It speaks of a highway between Egypt, Assyria, and Israel. It speaks of former enemies becoming connected. It speaks of blessing coming out of a region.”

Brother M describes the recent events of the Middle East as a “pressure phase.” 

“There’s a pressure that’s forging alliances, that’s forging systems, that’s breaking structures, and it’s creating this biblical pattern that’s going to lead us into an Isaiah 19 moment. It’s part of the process, and it’s leading us somewhere,” he says. 

“It’s real pressure. It’s heavy pressure. And I don’t see this being resolved quickly, regardless of what you hear from the President [of the United States].” 

Find your place in the story

Where do Christians find their place amid the geopolitics? Brother Phil with Global Catalytic Ministries points to the Great Commission in the world’s chaos.

(Photo courtesy of Kyle Glenn via Unsplash)

“Yes, there are wars, there’s famine, there’s fuel shortages, but we lose the plot if we make that the main thing,” he says. 

“I think Jesus’ point in Matthew 24 is ‘all this will be going on in the background, but don’t be afraid. Focus on the main thing that’s happening: The gospel will go to the ends of the earth.’” 

The Strait of Hormuz will likely remain a revolving door. Believers must stay grounded in God’s mission and pursue their places in His Kingdom story today. 

“I’m encouraging people not to dissect whether war with Iran is fulfilling this verse of Revelation. I’m trying to help them to keep the big picture,” says Brother Phil. 

“If we make wars and famines the main thing, then we do what someone has referred to as ‘letting the devil set our agenda.’ We end up being focused on what he’s doing, rather than on the things that Jesus has called us to do.”

Header photo: By MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC – This image or video was catalogued by Goddard Space Flight Center of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Photo ID: 2018-12-10., Public Domain)

Within Yemen, persecution of Christians also occurs, whether or not the rest of the world hears about it. Floyd Brobbel with Voice of the Martyrs Canada says, “We don’t always hear about these things because the information is not easy to leave the country.” 

Yet a February 9 news report from Human Rights Watch says more than 20 Christians have been arbitrarily detained by Houthi authorities in recent months. Enforced disappearances can look like this, says Brobbel: “Their relatives don’t know where they are. They can’t communicate with anybody. The officials who arrest won’t even give any indication that they have these Christians.”

(Photo courtesy of Lara Jameson/Pexels)

Brobbel says the detentions point to broader issues in Yemen — issues that merit advocacy and which other governments should be aware of. “Religious freedom is virtually non-existent in the region,” he says. “There’s been violence and tortures. There have been martyrdoms of pastors in the past. Christians are forced to hide.” 

Yemen once had 41,000 believers, according to the U. S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. But today, there are estimated to be only a few thousand. Brobbel says years of civil war, not just persecution, have also contributed to the drop. 

“A lot of Christians and religious minorities have left, but you’re always having those that stay,” he says. “Despite all these things that we’ve talked about, there is an underground church that is expanding despite the dangers that they’re facing on a daily basis.” 

Pray for strength for Christians in Yemen to share the gospel in the midst of hostile and, in many cases, unknown circumstances. 

“Pray that they would be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Pray that they would be effective in reaching their enemies for Christ,” says Brobbel. “You know, with opposition comes opportunity.”

Then ask yourself, what are you doing to share the gospel in your own nation and community? Ask God to help you see and take the opportunities all around you.

Learn how you can help Voice of the Martyrs Canada serve persecuted Christians at www.vomcanada.com.

Header photo is a representative stock photo of a boy in Yemen courtesy of Nazar Alareqe via Pexels.

Women in Iran wearing the traditional hijab and loose-fitting clothing required by sharia law. (Photo courtesy of mostafa meraji/Unsplash)

Israel is among those concerned about Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. It has stated that it will not allow Iran to rebuild its nuclear capacities. But Iran insists that its developments are only for civilian purposes. 

It’s complex, isn’t it? Samuel* from Redemptive Stories explains a few things about Iran’s relationships that we might miss. First comes Israel. Why does the Iranian regime want Israel off the map? 

“It’s more complicated than just all ‘Oh, they are Muslims and those are Jews and so they hate each other,'” Samuel says. “There [are] other political and even economic factors that play into this frustration, angst, and hatred that goes back and forth between them.” 

For example, Israel has a voice in the Middle East as an ally of certain Western powers.

“The sanctions that are put on Iran, at least in part, are all related to Israel’s sentiments towards Iran, and the power that they wield within the US as well as Europe,” says Samuel.

The enmity has manifested itself in many conflicts. For years, Iran has waged war with Israel through proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. It has leveraged its influence in nations and groups with high numbers of Shia Muslims, such as Syria and Iraq.

Azadi Square, Tehran, Iran (Stock photo courtesy of Erfan Ro via Unsplash)

“Iran — they’re 94% Shia. Therefore, they are viewed, at least because of their power and their position, as the heart of Shia Islam,” explains Samuel.

“So Hezbollah, being Shia, also leans back to look to Iran for help. And Iran is helping. That is why Israel continues to bomb in the south of Lebanon and to attack targets that are there, because Hezbollah has so far resisted any thoughts of disarming.”

Conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Israel and Iran have brought devastation, but “God is a friend near to those that walk through pain,” Samuel says. Pray that there will be enough peace in the Middle East for Christians to bring the love of Christ to the people suffering.

“If you look at the 20 points that have been laid out for Gaza [in the ceasefire deal], they really create opportunities for human flourishing to really occur in that area,” says Samuel. “But is there enough trust to walk them out? That is a different question.” 

*Pseudonym

Header photo: Tafresh, Markazi Province, Iran (Photo courtesy of Mostafa Meraji via Unsplash)

So how will the U.S. label the Houthi terrorist group in their upcoming 2025 Report on International Religious Freedom? USCIRF recommends that the Houthis remain listed as an Entity of Particular Concern, which comes with sanctions.

“Obviously, the State Department has to factor in lots of other angles, lots of other priorities into that conversation as well,” said Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA.

The Houthis (also known as Ansarallah) were already redesignated in March by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization. The State Department’s 2025 Report on International Religious Freedom should come out later this year.

(Photo courtesy of Lara Jameson/Pexels)

“The Iranian government has encouraged, supported the Houthis to make trouble — make trouble in the [Red Sea] shipping lanes, make trouble for Israel,” said Nettleton. “There is definitely a connection between the two countries.”

Yemen as a whole is in a worsening humanitarian crisis. Nettleton explains that followers of Christ face intense persecution on top of the physical dangers and struggles. With that in mind, please pray that entire families will come to faith together. 

“The reason I say that is because, typically, the first line of persecution is your family,” said Nettleton. “That’s true in Yemen. It’s true in other Islamic contexts as well.”

Finally, pray for wisdom and discernment for international leaders working with Yemen.

“[Pray] for them to be able to make wise recommendations and to understand when it’s best to use a carrot and when it’s best to use a stick to try to create more religious freedom and, frankly, other kinds of freedom in Yemen,” said Nettleton.

Header image is a stock photo of fishing boats in the port of Sfax in Aden, Yemen (courtesy of Yuksel Ozdemir via Pexels)

Greg Musselman with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada explains, “The Houthis and al-Shabaab are now sharing weaponry; they’re becoming more aligned, in a sense.”

As described here, the Houthis are giving al-Shabaab access to more advanced weaponry systems. In return, al-Shabaab shares its coastal intelligence network and years of expertise in piracy.

A calligraphic logo used by Ansar Allah, a Shia movement in Yemen commonly called the Houthis, with Arabic text: “Oh ye who believe, be supporters of God” (Quran 61:14)
(Wikimedia Commons)

“These groups have these weapons, they share intelligence, and that makes it very scary for persecuted Christians in those nations as these radicalized groups take more and more control of their countries,” Musselman says.

As radical control grows in Yemen and Somalia, believers continue to quietly share the hope of Christ. “In Somalia, they have one of the fastest-growing Churches in the world,” Musselman says.

“Instability causes people a lot of fear, but also opens them up to the Gospel.”

Yemen and Somalia are some of the world’s most dangerous places to follow Christ. For example, Yemeni citizens are not allowed to convert to Christianity. More about that here.

Similarly, believers in Somalia keep their faith a closely-held secret, as al-Shabaab demands the death of Christians if discovered. More about that here.

“Often, we can’t talk about stories [like these] because of the security issues. We don’t want to put anybody else in any further danger. But we can be encouraged that God is working amid all the challenges these believers are facing,” Musselman says.

“Because of the fear, the unhappiness with [the] regimes leading these countries, they (people) just see no hope. And that’s when many of them are turning to the Lord.”

Pray that the Gospel will penetrate the hearts of many hopeless people.

“Let’s pray for God’s work to continue in Somalia and Yemen. Yeah, they have heavy Muslim populations, but there is an emerging Church,” Musselman says.

“Believers are willing to risk their lives to bring the Gospel to some of the world’s most dangerous places.”

Header image depicts al-Shabaab insurgents during an attack on Somali National Army positions in 2023. (Wikimedia Commons)

Tragically, those who often pay the price in these conflicts are ordinary people. At least 67 people have been killed in U.S. airstrikes, according to casualty numbers released by the Houthis.

Hope is already hard to find in Yemen. The past decade of civil war between the government and Houthis has created one of the worst humanitarian crises today. More than half of the people in Yemen need urgent aid; more than 80% live under the poverty line.

“The people in Yemen are noble people. Their heritage, their history, is so rich — yet they have had the misfortune of dealing with certain crisis over the years, famine and other challenges. So the level of hopelessness, again, has been on the rise,” says Mike Ansari with Heart4Iran.

(Children in Yemen courtesy of Irwan Zahuri via Pexels)

Yet God is building His Church in Yemen. 

“That deep-seated hopelessness results in your heart being more open, and that openness [it] is creating is allowing them to be able to see the light of Jesus,” says Ansari. 

“Within the Middle East, people are having dreams and visions, or somebody is telling them, ‘Look, I had this experience. I had an encounter with Jesus. My life is richer. Would you like to try it?’ That’s how we’re seeing people of Yemen, within certain communities, gravitate more towards Christianity.”

Ansari calls Yemen’s growing underground church “a promising beacon within the Arab world.” They are no strangers to persecution — believers there have reached out to ministries like Heart4Iran; they say they look up to Iran’s underground church in Iran.

Discipleship is a pressing need. In both Iran and Yemen, discipleship “takes place, first of all, through God’s grace, and second of all, through face to face, trusted communication,” says Ansari.

Then, because of lack of physical and community resources, “Many of them (persecuted believers across the world) are resorting to connecting on social media, on following satellite TV programs and/or try[ing] to download Bibles and connect with people outside of these regions that could basically mentor them.”

Find your place in the story

(Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran)

Gospel ministries in Yemen and across the Middle East, North Africa need your support in this work. That’s why Ansari invites you to prayerfully research and partner with one of them. 

“We do have a bit of legwork that we [each] need to do to validate from these ministries and organizations the ones that we feel represent our heart goal,” Ansari says. “But we do need to be more missional in America to understand that God is still on the move.”

He continues, “Jesus is on the move. We need to open up our eyes and see that He’s calling us to partner with Him and go across the world to the different regions, and baptize people in the name of Jesus. That is the Great Commission that every single one of us [was] called to take part in.

“So let us come together, explore amazing opportunities in difficult regions in [the] Middle East, partner with other organizations and spread the gospel.”

You can start by learning more about Heart4Iran here.

Header image is a representative stock photo of a boy in Yemen courtesy of Nazar Alareqe via Pexels.

A woman we’ll call Isabel* is a Christian serving with nonprofit organizations that meet humanitarian needs in Yemen. She says disruptions are part of daily life for their partners. 

“It’s prohibited people from being able to travel deep into certain parts of the territory, and constrained movement to areas that aren’t controlled by Houthi rebels,” she says.

(Photo courtesy of Lara Jameson/Pexels)

“Some groups that I work with that are doing translation work may literally be working together while bombs are falling in their neighborhood. They live in an extremely precarious situation when it comes to just physical safety.”

Since 2023, Houthis have raised havoc on international trade in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Yet no international policy like this one from the U.S. can reach to the heart of someone caught up in radical Islamic ideology. Isabel glimpsed that during one meeting with a mixed group of Yemenis.

One man spoke up, saying, “If you had told me I’d be sitting around this table with brothers from my country who were part of different political factions, plus an American, I would never have believed you. But only through the grace of God and through our shared love of Jesus could we be here together today.”

Yemen is number 3 on the World Watch List from Open Doors. Would you join in praying for secret Yemeni believers? Many of them deal with divisiveness, danger and opposition. Isabel asks that you pray for their safety and provision. Pray also for people in Yemen to be open to hearing a new message, open to building peace together through Jesus. Then, trust God! 

“I think it’s easy to forget, particularly as Western Christians, that there are people in other parts of the world that are living out stories we read in the Bible that we may think don’t happen anymore. For example, the small numbers of believers in these areas of such destruction and despair are truly being salt and light. [There] may truly be only 10 people in their city that know God,” Isabel says. 

“It’s really opened my eyes to how big God is, how good God is and how He continues to work with His people, with His children, to bring hope and new life in places like [Yemen].”

*Name withheld for security

Header photo is a representative stock photo courtesy of  Jiří Zeman via Pexels.

“[There are] over 34 million people inside Yemen, and most of them have never heard the Gospel, so we need Yemen to be a priority,” Kelley says.

The problem is that “Yemen is one of the [most] challenging mission fields today. Because of the civil war and the instabilities, it’s difficult to get aid to the places it’s ultimately needed.”

Plus, religious challenges abound. Following Jesus and sharing the Gospel are forbidden in Yemen; these are crimes punishable by death.

Even so, a small number of Yemeni believers live out their faith in utmost secrecy. How do they follow Christ’s instructions in the Great Commission to “go and make disciples”? Training from Unknown Nations helps.

“We can’t just show up [in] Yemen on an airplane. We have to use beachheads like Egypt,” Kelley says.

“We train Yemenis [in] places like Egypt, and they are going into Yemen raising up leaders, making disciples, or distributing our solar-powered audio Bible in the local language.”

Pray for clear, biblical dreams, visions, and revelations to draw Yemeni people to Jesus. Pray that the Lord will send more workers into His harvest in Yemen.

One of Yemen’s largest unreached people groups “is Yemeni Arabs, 15 million people who are 0.00 percent Christian. The number of workers needed is 300. That’s just for one single people group,” Kelley says.

Header image is a screenshot from Prayercast | Yemen.

Unknown Nations’ Greg Kelley says the partnership creates even more danger by adding another layer of chaos to war-torn Yemen. Currently, “you have the Houthis fighting, you have the military involved, and then you have Saudi Arabia and Iran doing a proxy war inside of Yemen,” Kelley says.

The constant instability hinders aid deliveries to people in need. Meanwhile, sanctions hurt the economy and lower the buying power of Yemeni families. As a result, “You have millions and millions of people who are affected and at risk of dying of hunger,” Kelley says.

“Yemen is in the top five percent [of] greatest need from a humanitarian and a spiritual condition.”

(Photo courtesy of Lara Jameson/Pexels)

Half of Yemen’s population, more than 17 million people, face severe hunger. A more significant percentage desperately needs Jesus, the Bread of Life. “Almost 100 percent of Yemenis are Muslim, and less than one-half of one percent are followers of Jesus,” Kelley says.

“Most of them have never heard the Gospel in their life.”

Christian activity is strictly forbidden in Yemen, so Unknown Nations trains Yemeni Gospel workers in Egypt. Contact Unknown Nations here for more details and ways to help.

“We’re training leaders; we are sending in solar-powered audio Bibles because the majority of the population in Yemen don’t read,” Kelley says.

Pray believers will have Gospel opportunities as they bring physical help to people who need it most. “Because the humanitarian crisis is so devastating, it’s a tremendous opportunity for the body of Christ, as we deploy aid into that place, to also share the love of Jesus,” Kelley says.

Header image depicts an April 2020 bombing in Yemen. (Photo courtesy of Felton Davis/Flickr/CC2.0)

The European Union is launching a new one-year naval operation to safeguard commercial shipping. Meanwhile, the U.S. re-designates the Houthis as terrorists, imposing harsh sanctions designed to cut off funding and weapons.

Yemen seems locked in a never-ending war, yet hope remains for the Yemeni people. God is at work here.

Trey Hulsey, a consultant for Middle East ministries, says, “The Yemeni church is growing, and we can speak of a Yemeni Church confidently and tangibly now. That wasn’t the case, maybe even 10 or 15 years ago.”

The Gospel message and teachings of Jesus are revolutionary in a place like Yemen.

“Christ teaches us to love our enemies, not to hate them. In Yemeni culture, that is a completely new message. That’s one of the things that really sticks,” Hulsey says.

“Yemenis say, ‘My culture teaches revenge and an eye for an eye. And yet, these other people who claim to follow a Messiah are telling me different.’”

Yemen is one of the world’s most dangerous places to follow Jesus. Nearly all Yemenis are Muslim, and converting to Christianity from Islam is a crime punishable by death.

(Wikimedia Commons)

The best way to help is also the easiest. “Sometimes it sounds cliche, but ‘Pray’ is first and foremost, number one,” Hulsey says.

“It takes an incredible amount of wisdom to navigate the unbelievable complexity of work in Yemen.”

Pray also for the boldness, wisdom, and protection of underground churches. Consider giving to a ministry supporting Yemeni believers like The Voice of the Martyrs USA.

“There is an enormous need [in Yemen]: money, aid, food, medicine. I would encourage people to contact charities that they trust and ask if they’re doing something for Yemen. If not, can they direct you to someone that is,” Hulsey says.

Header image depicts Yemen on a global map, highlighted in red. (Wikipedia)