“That means that downloading the videos, audio, and all sorts of resources that Iranian or Western ministries are preparing for Iranians inside the country are not easy to consume.”

The regime’s constant monitoring of digital activity means that consistent, meaningful communication with people inside the country is a challenge for ministry partners outside of it. When Iranians do communicate online, they do so through virtual private networks (VPNs), which serve as pipelines to Biblical resources. But Abnous says this is a channel that isn’t always open. 

“VPN is the only way for them to be able to communicate outside the country, but if the internet is shut down, the VPNs are basically useless.”

In the absence of internet connection, one of the most common ways Iranians access Biblical resources is through satellite television. Censorship of this medium is not widespread in Iran, and Abnous says there is no way for Iran to track viewership. Thus, Biblically faithful TV programming remains an open door for reaching Iranians. 

Image courtesy of Heart4Iran

Another door opener is Artificial Intelligence.

“Either on TV or social media, there are ways for us to use these new technologies to not only minimize the challenges of the security of Iranians but also be more efficient and effective when we’re sending content inside Iran,” Abnous says. 

Recently, Heart4Iran has been employing a version of ChatGPT trained to operate with a Biblical worldview. 

“We have tested multiple times, and we’re getting constant feedback,” Abnous says. “As an Iranian Christian or an Iranian seeker inside the country is asking the question, the answer they get is Biblical.” 

Abnous says the other beautiful aspect of using AI is to be able to clean, categorize, and tag data in an analyzable format. 

“That is of great value for ministries outside the country because we’re dealing with a country that is very restricted. So to have these tools at our disposal, we will have better insight inside the country to see who is consuming, the demographic, the type of content they’re interested to consume.”

Looking forward, the team at Heart4Iran hopes to ensure personal connection by introducing internet searchers to Christians who can pick up where AI leaves off. 

Please pray for the security of Iranians inside the country as well as ministry partners interacting with them. 

Pray for anointed decision-making that will bring forth fruit in places that were once desolate.

Pray for Heart4Iran to wisely steward its resources. 

Pray that God would pave the way for more ministries to partner with Heart4Iran in reaching this closed country. 

“Especially these days with the advancement of technology,” Abnous points out, “you’re always excited to try every new thing that comes in the market, but we want to have that discernment to make sure what is needed now, how to use it, how to master it, how to educate our team members to use it best.”

Photo courtesy of Transform Iran; header photo courtesy of Markus Winkler via Pexels

In Iran’s restrictive environment, many Iranians are afraid to voice their questions to a real-life person (Stock photo courtesy of Florin Palamarciuc via Unsplash)

Lana Silk with Transform Iran explains that in Iran’s restrictive environment, many Iranians are afraid to voice their questions to a real-life person. Yet the number of Christians in Iran is growing, and so is the number of Muslims seeking answers about their faith. These are just a few reasons that Kairos, a newly launched AI model from Transform Iran, is such a timely resource.

“It’s always been an age-old problem for Christian ministry in Iran to keep up with the demand,” Silk said.  

Silk explains that if you ask AI systems like ChatGPT about faith or Christian doctrine, “you will get very humanist, sort of ‘open to all possibilities’ kinds of answers, and sometimes favoring false doctrines as well.”

Not so with Kairos. It pulls only from a carefully vetted library of resources from Transform Iran’s Christian apologetics center.

“What people can do with Kairos is ask those questions and have a conversation with a system that understands Christianity thoroughly and understands how it interacts with Islam, and all of the questions that Muslims have about that sort of conversion,” said Silk. 

Kairos offers Iranians safety and anonymity. It also responds as a baseline counselor. By gathering information from the topics and even the word choices people use, Kairos will suggest to them when human counseling is needed. It can point people to contact Transform Iran’s follow-up counseling team. 

You can try Kairos out for yourself! The model is tailored for the Farsi-speaking world but is available in over 250 languages. Transform Iran intends to train Kairos to operate in many of Iran’s ethnic languages as well. 

“Pray for the people involved on this project. Pray for the project itself that it will withstand the attacks of the Iranian government, who will try their best to derail it,” said Silk. “Then pray and see if the Lord might have you invest in it, because there [are] some really exciting new things we’re wanting to build into it.”

Header photo courtesy of Ashkan Forouzani via Unsplash. 

Nazanin Baghestani with Heart4Iran offers a glimpse of the persecuted church in Iran: “The church in Iran is a praying Church. Their number one gift that God has given them is prayer.”

“The church is really thriving, they are strong and they’re preaching the gospel with boldness. Iran is the fast[est] moving underground church in the world.”

Both Christian and Muslim Iranians reach out to Heart4Iran’s call center daily. They are always asking for prayer. Baghestani explains that culturally, Persians believe deeply in prayer.

(Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran)

“They (Muslims) believe that Jesus is a great prophet, [that he] answers prayer, and does miracles. But once they get to know the Lord, that’s when they become prayer warriors,” she says.

That close relationship with God is greatly needed. Iran is ranked number 9 on the World Watch List from Open Doors. Baghestani explains that traditional Christian minorities, such as Armenians or Syrians, are mostly left alone by the government — unless they share the gospel. 

“We do have Armenian pastor who is in prison right now because he evangelized to Muslims. That’s the danger. But praise the Lord, as I said, people are bold and courageous by the power of the Holy Spirit, and they do evangelize, and many come to Christ,” she says. “But if a Muslim becomes Christian, that’s totally a different story.” 

Christians who were once Muslims may face interrogation, imprisonment, and devastating rejection by their families. Forced marriages are also a terrible reality for some. (More on that here.)

Would you pray for the praying Church? 

“We can join in and intercede for them, for their protection and for their needs,” Baghestani says. “It’s hard to get Bible inside the country and distribute it. Pray for all kinds of means that God will [use to] open doors [so] that we can distribute Bibles.”

Learn more about Heart4Iran’s multifaceted ministry here.

Header photo courtesy of Heart4Iran.

International leaders are calling for de-escalation and restraint. At first glance, it seems like it might be possible. For example, rather than announce its full assessment of Saturday’s strikes, Israel is classifying that information. Iran’s media has also chosen to downplay the damage from the attack.

Lana Silk with Transform Iran believes escalation is unavoidable.

Some Iranians celebrate after Iran’s October 1, 2024 missile attack on Israel (Photo courtesy of Maryam Davarnia via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

“Inasmuch as neither side really can afford a full-blown war, at the same time, neither side can lose face. Whoever stops (retaliating) is going to be the one that’s on the back foot, the one that has been effectively defeated, even in the short term,” Silk explains. 

Indeed, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has asserted that Iran will not back off and will defend itself. Israel military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari has said that if Iran responds with further aggression, Israel will “be obligated to respond.” 

What do the people of Iran think? 

Silk says some Iranians support their regime’s agenda against Israel but that they are in the minority. Another set of Iranians hope that a war will undermine or weaken the Iranian regime’s chokehold on its own people. 

Others are just trying to survive. Silk explains, “What we’re hearing from them is that they are less concerned about a potential war and more concerned about their immediate, intense needs — and survival in many cases.

“Having said that, this group is going to be drawn in, whether they like it or not, because what was once talk of war is becoming more and more a reality.”

There’s a place for you in this story

You can be part of God’s purposes in the Middle East. One way may be through big-picture prayers.

Silk points to the Lord’s Prayer as our starting point: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

(Graphic courtesy of Transform Iran)

“We can’t presume to know what God’s will is. Of course, God’s will is not loss of life or suffering. He loves the people of Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran. He died for them all, and He wills for not one of them to be lost, but to come into an eternal salvation relationship with Jesus,” Silk says.

“So we can pray generally about that. We can pray for people to come to know the Lord. We can pray for protection over Christians who are in this place, and courage for them to be bright lights in in the midst of darkness.” 

Start by learning — and then pray more

Another important step is to become more informed.

“If we want to really get actively engaged in what’s happening, we need to be aware of what’s happening. We need to be partnering — whether it’s in prayer or finance — with organizations that have boots on the ground who are serving in places like Israel, across the Middle East, through to Iran,” Silk says.

That may look like following ministry stories from Transform Iran through its website or on social media, praying actively, and raising awareness in your community, church, country of the real issues going on in the Middle East.

This deeper understanding and awareness will inform your prayers. For example, here’s how you could be led to pray more deeply for the leaders of Iran who desire to wipe out Israel. 

“We pray a death to evil schemes. We pray for salvation. We pray for Damascus Road conversions. We pray for their hearts to be steered towards good rather than evil. We pray for their schemes to fail if they’re trying to destroy and bring loss of life, that they would fail in those pursuits,” Silk says. 

“We pray for the church to be a voice in these places and to be a beacon of light for God’s glory.” 

Follow Mission Network News’ coverage of the Middle East here to connect with other ministries seeking to advance the gospel of Christ.

Header photo courtesy of IDF Spokesperson’s Unit via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The day before Iran’s October 1 missile attack on Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a three-minute address with a message of solidarity for the Iranian people. (Watch the video here.)

“[In the message, Netanyahu is] very specific that he’s trying to say to the Persian people that [their] regime that is not really, truly chosen by the Persian people, by the Iranians, is [Israel’s] enemy, not the people of Iran,” says Denise Godwin with International Media Ministries.

The team at IMM is struck by the timeliness of their upcoming dramatic film on the life of Esther.

(Photo courtesy of International Media Ministries via Facebook)

“We are preparing the story of Esther from a Persian historical perspective, with believers who’ve come to Christ from Iran and [who are] trying to take their perspective to the story in the Bible that’s about their people and about Israeli people as well, the way we see it today,” says Godwin. 

IMM glimpses that God is up to something in the midst of this politically charged climate.

“To find this theme of a small person, Esther, standing up for many people; a small country [Israel], standing up for freedom or peace or the right to not be oppressed; or the Iranian people standing up because they don’t like the corruption. There [are] all these repeated aspects of this theme in our everyday lives right now going on around the world,” Godwin says. 

“God is definitely at work in this region. It’s messy, like most of our lives, but God is doing something really dramatic, and we are living on the edge of watching perhaps the world change.”

Esther: Queen of Hope (Photo courtesy of International Media Ministries)

Pray for the team at IMM as they finish Esther: Queen of Hope, but most of all pray for the people of Israel and Iran who are suffering in the conflict between the nations.

“Pray for them (persecuted Iranian Christians) to stand strong. I’m amazed that these people never say, ‘Pray I don’t get arrested. Pray I don’t have any kind of persecution.’ No, they say, ‘Pray that I will stay strong,’” Godwin says. 

“Pray for those that get released from prison. We kind of think the prison is the worst part, but they’ve lived through trauma, and so there’s a life consequence to how they’ve been faithful to Jesus Christ that they’re probably always going to carry. Pray for healing for the trauma that they experience.”

Click to learn more about IMM and their mission to use media to reach the world for Christ.

Header photo of Tehran, Iran courtesy of Hamid Mohammad Hossein Zadeh Hashemi via Unsplash.

In Iran, the government can not only limit or shut down the internet, but also track peoples’ use of it. Because of this, more and more Iranians are turning to satellite TV, which cannot be stopped or monitored. 

(Photo courtesy of Transform Iran)

It’s a trend that ministries such as Transform Iran are making the most of for Christ. 

“They’re not necessarily looking for Jesus at this point,” says Lana Silk with Transform Iran. 

“They take to the satellite airwaves to find material from the West that they can listen to that is different to the rhetoric that they hear at home — and that is where we want them to find Jesus.”

There’s an interesting contrast here. In 2016, Iranian officials confiscated 100,000 satellite dishes, declaring that the corrupting influence of satellite TV led to marriage troubles, addiction and poor education for children. 

Today, however, Transform Iran hears testimonies from people who were caught in those same struggles. But in these accounts, people on the brink of suicide, or trapped in addiction, depression or broken relationships discovered the help they needed. 

“They find the message of Jesus through the TV, and it gives them hope, it gives them a better way, and then through that they can contact us — and we give them safe ways to do that. Then we can minister to them in-person and disciple them,” Silk says.

“We have really increased our investment into program creation, to make sure that we’re delivering fresh, current quality programs that the people of Iran will want to watch, will engage with and be blessed by.”

In addition to recently finishing a series on history, politics and heritage of Iran, they have also focused on children’s programming. Silk says that in Iran there are eight to 10 million children between the ages of five and 12. They are the future of Iran. 

(Photo courtesy of Transform Iran)

“We would love you to pray for us for protection on all the people involved in the frontline producing these programs, because we see time and again, as people take offensive in spiritual battle, their health is attacked, their families are attacked,” Silk says. 

There is also a practical way you can reach Iran with the gospel: by partnering to support their next programs.

“Our regular programming costs $800 for one 30-minute episode, $900 for children’s programs,” Silk says. “That’s everything from conception to production, to all the talent to recording, post production, editing. All in one, that’s $800-900 will get you a program.”

Click to learn more about Transform Iran’s ministry in radio, television and social media.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of mojzagrebinfo/Pixabay.

Why did Iran directly attack Israel for the first time in its history? With support for Israel wavering from its allies, wouldn’t a direct attack from Iran re-bolster the world’s support for Israel? How was a direct attack in Iran’s best interest?

Escalating conflict abroad

Tehran, Iran (Photo courtesy of Khashayar Kouchpeydeh/Unsplash)

Lana Silk, CEO of Transform Iran, says, “Iran is in a difficult situation because, as you say, they can’t be seen to have ‘all bark and no bite.’ So they can’t just keep throwing all these threats out there and not following through.”

The lead-up to Iran’s attack has been a tit-for-tat process of escalation. Prior to October 7, Israel had a ceasefire with Hamas and was preparing to sign a peace deal with the Sunni government of Saudi Arabia. Then on October 7, Iran provided support for the terror attack by Hamas that killed over 1,200 Israelis and took around 240 hostage.

Iran has continued to add fuel to the fire of war in the Holy Land through its Shia proxies in Yemen and Lebanon. Israel sent a message to Iran by striking the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1st, killing two Iranian generals and five officers.

Following the Iranian consulate strike, Tehran vowed to retaliate — which led to Iran sending hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel, most of which were shot down. Now, Israel says they cannot let a direct attack like this from Iran go unpunished.

Escalating conflict at home

Meanwhile, all is not well at home in Iran.

First, an ongoing power struggle between the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the ayatollahs makes for uncomfortable bedmates when they have to turn and deal with wars abroad.

“That’s certainly what the atmosphere is in Iran today — that maybe there’s some infighting going on. And, of course, that has other implications,” Silk says.

(Photo courtesy of Transform Iran)

Then there’s the Iranian people, the majority of whom feel disenfranchised by their own government and are struggling to make ends meet.

Tehran received significant criticism for entering 2024 without an official budget or fiscal plan. This year also marks the end of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s first term in office.

“Economically, it’s a very difficult climate. There’s already been a lot of uncertainty now with this ‘budget, no budget’ question. I mean, they’re having to throw something together. They’re not committing the right money to the right places. They’re spending money in war.

“So the people of Iran continue to pay. They’re struggling for jobs. They’re struggling for affordable housing and food. Poverty is high. The people are not being looked after and they’re stuck.

“They feel completely trapped in the world that they live in right now. As far as they’re concerned, they are forgotten by the West because all the West sees is their regime with all the negative things at play that the regime is involved in. So then the West must hate us.”

Silk says there are many in Iran who are not pleased with their government’s actions on the global stage. Many are even questioning the validity of Islam itself, although it is incredibly dangerous to do so in Iran where Islam is the state religion.

Seeking Truth

These silent doubters are seeking spiritual truth. This is where Transform Iran’s ministry steps in with the transcending hope and truth of the Gospel.

Transform Iran is passionate about leadership development. The Church in Iran is growing fast.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Transform Iran)

Transform Iran uses television, radio, and social media to reach Iranians with the Good News about Jesus. No matter the circumstances, Christ offers comfort and hope. The people of Iran need to know.

“The best thing that we can do for the people of Iran today is to let them know that we see them, and we care!” says Silk.

“It would be so helpful for us all to be using the power of social media to be talking about the people of Iran, sharing posts that highlight the needs of the people of Iran, let them know that they are seen, that we love them, we care for them.

“Let’s be praying. Let’s be fueling what God is doing. Let’s be inviting the Holy Spirit to be visiting people in their dreams, in their doorways, in visions…. That is a powerful thing that we can be doing. If we do that, then we will have helped the people of Iran.”

Learn more about Transform Iran’s ministry here.

Header photo courtesy of Steven Su/Unsplash.

The report is a grim list that includes “extra-judicial and unlawful killings and murder, unnecessary and disproportionate use of force, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, torture, rape, enforced disappearances, and gender persecution.” 

It marks the first time that the term “crimes against humanity” has appeared in an official report on the government of Iran. 

But Nazanin with Heart4Iran says even this report won’t change anything in the nation. “They (Iran’s government) already know they are violating the human rights. But the Iranian government is not hiding anything, and they don’t care what the media says. They don’t consider the West as a threat to them.”

(Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran)

She affirms that Christians are targeted by the government, especially Muslim background believers. 

People regularly phone Heart4Iran’s 24/7 call center and choke out their sometimes horrific experiences. Some post on social media despite the possible consequences of sharing their stories.

In an effort to protect callers, Heart4Iran discourages them from sharing all the details of their experiences. If the call is being monitored by the government, it’s possible the people will be punished again in some way. They point people to trust God even in intense suffering, and pray with them. 

Nazanin asks the Church to take action for Persian people living under a government that uses fear and control. 

“One thing: be a voice for them. Second, pray. Pray for their protection,” she says. 

“Go to your city, go to your leaders, your people. Tell them what’s going on. Go to social media — put up pictures, just retell the stories that you hear.” 

Finally, Nazanin wants you to know that Iranians are not like what their government portrays. 

“They have so much potential. They’re so good, so kind, so hospitable. They need our help, (those) that are outside that can do something. They can’t. They’re stuck. Every time there is a protest, every time there’s an uprising, they’re shut down,” she says. 

Connect with Heart4Iran on Facebook, Instagram, X and other online channels.

Header photo courtesy of Closeup Foundation via Heart4Iran. 

More than 60 percent of Iran’s population is under the age of 30. In the protests of the past two years, young Iranians have shown a decided shift in their mindset. They are no longer looking for hope or help from political authority, as did the generation under the Islamic Republic of Iran founded in 1979. 

To Iranian youth, the government is religion. 

“The system, the politics, the government is based on and grounded in the Islamic practices. So when when we refer to politics and democracy, they (young people) immediately think of religion,” says Lily Meschi with Iran Alive Ministries.

“Anything that sounds or smells like religion, they’re rejecting.”

Representative stock photo courtesy of Pouya Hajiebrahimi via Unsplash

Meschi says this is a historic time for Iran. “Because the new generation — Millennials and Gen Zs — are fed up with the religious rhetorics and anything that is like religion. As a result, they are open to new ideas, to New Age spiritualities, including even the gospel of Christ.”

Meschi wants the young people of Iran to know that Jesus said in John 10:10 that He came that people might have abundant life. But while Iranians are desperate for this freedom that can only be found in Christ, they do not recognize Him. 

“They think of Christianity just as another religion. We want to sort of wipe off and remove from their mindset and help them have that shift in their mindset of not seeing Christianity yet as another religion.”

Iran Alive offers 24/7 programming through satellite TV to help Iranians understand that Christianity is a relationship-based faith. They use social media and other channels to engage a tech-savvy generation, offering discipleship, Christian community and God’s Word through various means. Read stories of impact here.

“This is an urgent time for all of us Christians to rise up and to really make the message of Christ, make the gospel bold in Iran and among Iranians, so that we could have an amplified voice among all the other spiritualities that are being offered to Iranians,” Meschi says. 

You can be part of this through your prayers and support. 

“Historically, it only takes one generation for the Christianity movement to be completely wiped off,” Meschi says. 

Join in praying for older Christians to faithfully and effectively train leaders of a new generation. Pray that these young people would “truly make this movement of God among Iranians move forward, and keep the momentum going even stronger than the past generation.”

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of MohammadHosein Mohebbi/Unsplash.

The Iran-Hamas partnership has become increasingly obvious since Hamas’s attack on Israel. The US State Department confirmed in 2021 that Hamas terrorists receive funding, weapons, and training from Iran. Israel says Iran funnels as much as $100 million per year to Hamas.

(Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran)

Mike Ansari with Heart4Iran explains, “Iran has been opposed to the existence of the State of Israel since its inception in 1979. And as such, Iran has been actively seeking alliances with other Islamic groups that share the same ideological opposition to Israel.

“Also, Iran is actively involved in trying to exert his influence on politics in the Middle East by reaching proxy conflicts using non state actors like Hamas to do its bidding.”

Obviously, the result of Hamas violence is the loss of innocent Israeli and Palestinian lives.

But Iranians are also collateral damage. The Iran government’s support to extremist organizations means less humanitarian aid and economic support for its own people.

“Iran’s vast economic and military support of the external factions like Hamas is adversely affecting the economy and the lives of ordinary Iranians,” says Ansari. “Iranians are dealing with poverty, inflation, high unemployment, and reduced access to global markets.”

Iranians often call in to Heart4Iran with their faith questions and struggles of hopelessness. The Gospel is the only thing that can meet their needs, no matter the circumstances they face.

(Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran)

Yet, it’s not easy. Ansari says, “Heart4Iran is providing 24/7 trauma counseling and ministry to Iranians, but no ministry is truly equipped to deal with the enormity of the crisis in Iran.”

Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, pray for Iranians to know Christ’s hope. Ask the Lord to equip and strengthen Heart4Iran ministering the Gospel to the people of Iran.

Also, Ansari requests, “Pray for those who have lost loved ones to be comforted, and for generational dissent to be replaced with peace.”

Header photo courtesy of Heart4Iran.