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)

International tensions continue, too, as the United States moved some military assets toward the Middle East last week. On Friday, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution condemning the “violent crackdown on peaceful protests” by Iranian security forces. The Iranian government has rejected this resolution.

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

“My concern is, number one, people who are created in the image of God are being killed,” says Fadi Sharaiha with the MENA Leadership Center. “I need to remind us that everyone is created in God’s image.”

U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports 5,848 people killed, with over 17,000 more deaths being investigated, and more than 41,200 arrests. The continued nationwide internet blackout makes verification even harder. 

Sharaiha is also concerned that Christians in Iran will be targeted in the crackdown. Not only that, but what happens in Iran affects Lebanon, the West Bank, Gaza, and the entire region, he says.

“What is really, I would say, troubling is that we don’t know what will be the final solution between the West and Iran. I mean, on whose expense would it be, the deal? Or if there will be any deal,” he says. 

Regime change won’t solve everything

Questions remain on whether the Iranian government will fall. But Sharaiha offers this reality check: “If the regime ceases to exist, what would be the option? What are the options?” he says. “We’re hearing the son of the ex-shah that was thrown off the throne, [Reza Pahlavi]. Now he has good potential, and the hope is that things will go well.”

However, Sharaiha says that in the case of any religious regime, the battle is against thoughts and doctrine, not only the army. Change in Iran has a long way to go.

Yet in all the turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa today, Sharaiha says, “I need to remind myself every single night that God is sitting on the throne, and God is good. God is sovereign. Whatever is happening is according to His will, and He is Lord of all.”

Find your place in the story

Although true change will take a long time in Iran, there’s something we can do today. “My prayer is that Christians in the West, and whoever is reading this, remind themselves that they have a bigger family,” says Sharaiha. “We are all one family of Christ.”

(Photo courtesy of Zahra Amiri/Unsplash)

Please pray for underground believers in Iran who are in extreme danger. Pray for wisdom for world leaders, and above all, “that God’s name would be glorified, and people will know that God is good and that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He is the only One who can bring peace to the families in Iran, to the country of Iran.” 

The MENA Leadership Center offers courses and programs tailored to the region, which includes Iran. They recently offered courses on religious persecution and on trauma healing for refugee ministry. 

“My prayer and my hope is that at some point we will be helping the church and [able to] strengthen the church in Iran, inside Iran,” says Sharaiha.

Header photo is a representative stock photo from Iran courtesy of Mashid Saberpour via Unsplash.

Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran (Photo By FDD – FDD Maximum Support: Operationalizing the Other Iran Policy Event, CC BY-SA 2.0)

The government has certainly tried to regain control, cutting internet services last week and using violent force. US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported Sunday that over 10,600 people have been detained and at least 544 killed in the first two weeks of protests that began December 28, 2025.

But there’s another side to the crackdown. “The people are fighting back,” says Lana Silk with Transform Iran. “There have been images of the Iranian police running from the crowds because they were at risk. I’ve seen images of clerics who’ve been driving away, trying to hide their identity. You know, the people are angry at the Islamic regime, and all the clerics symbolize Islam in Iran.” 

Iran has gone through other protests in the years since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. However, Silk says promised support from the United States and encouragement from Iran’s exiled crown prince have helped Iranians across all demographics come together in an unprecedented way. But it’s not enough. 

“They’re fighting with stones and sticks, and the government is fighting with machine guns. It’s a totally different kind of battle,” says Silk. “So this is not the time to go, ‘Well done, Iranians. Good job. Now we sit back and watch you take hold of your land.’ They still need help.” 

What’s more, the protests and crackdowns are signs of a spiritual battle that is touching not only Iran but the Middle East today, says Silk. “We need the support of the global church to see a final push through. This isn’t just about one country in isolation. If the enemy loses his hold in Iran, there is a huge domino effect that comes out of that.

“So let’s pray with faith. Let’s get behind Christian ministries who are serving in that area and empower them — again, also with prayer, but with resources, with support, with advocacy.”

(Photo courtesy of Transform Iran)

Transform Iran is one such ministry. For years, the team has been praying in faith and getting ready for God’s answer for an open Iran.

“We have been preparing with people, with Bibles, with plans and projects in place, ready to step in and do good in that land for the people of Iran,” says Silk. “So we’re watching carefully, and we’re making sure that we ourselves are ready for whatever comes next.”

Pray for God’s kingdom to come in Iran and the surrounding nations. You’re standing with believers in Iran when you do so. 

“All Iranians have a great sense of hope right now. But you know, the Christians have been praying about this,” says Silk. “There has been a lot of prayer for many, many years of Christians praying for a change, whether it was a shift in regime or whether it was repentance in the Islamic leadership. One way or another, Iran needed a change.” 

Header photo of Tehran, Iran (Photo courtesy of Mohammad Amirahmadi/Unsplash)