Iranian Christians Celebrate and Pray for the Hope of a Free Iran as Strikes Continue

Diaspora Iranian Christian ministries have struggled to connect with the underground church inside Iran since the U.S.-Israeli strikes began, as the regime's near-total internet blackout has severed communication channels. But the reports that have filtered out tell a remarkable story: Iranian believers — who have worshiped in secret for decades under a regime that punishes conversion from Islam with imprisonment or death — are celebrating the possibility that the theocratic government's grip on power may finally be breaking. Mansour Borji, director of advocacy for Article18, described the mood among Iranian Christians as one of cautious hope mixed with fervent prayer. The Iranian church, estimated at between 500,000 and 1 million believers, has grown entirely underground since the 1979 revolution banned conversion — and now faces the extraordinary possibility that the regime which persecuted them may not survive.