Proposed Law Leads to Concerns

Underground house church - Photo: VOM USA
Pray for creative solutions as Iranian believers spread the Gospel.
Photo: VOM USA

Finding encouragement in the Christian faith can be especially difficult in a country like Iran, where tight government controls prevent followers of Christ from meeting together. In recent years, modern technology created a platform for ministries to reach out with the Good News of Jesus and provide spiritual help to the many believers who often must worship in secret. Yet a newly drafted proposed law now threatens to silence the voices of believers from being expressed via the Internet.

In order to get past the rigorous restrictions already in place, many Iranians use proxy servers or VPNs to work around the government-imposed Internet filters. However, the proposed law would criminalize the sale or distribution of any such technologies. Restrictions are also being placed on social media platforms. Foreign services such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram would then require registration with Iranian authorities and thus be subjected to their oversight. The bill also puts control of the Internet into the hands of Iran's armed forces.

In a country where the government maintains strict control over all forms of print media (including newspapers), and serves as the only entity legally permitted to broadcast on television or radio, social media has been an invaluable communication tool for those who do not share its hard-line Islamist views. For further information on the challenges encountered by Christians in Iran, and to review previously posted reports, go to our country report.

Please pray that this new proposal will not pass into law. Also prayerfully intercede for ministries that are presently using the Internet to reach into Iran with the message of Christ, asking God to grant them wisdom and innovative new ways to proclaim the Good News throughout this Muslim-majority nation. Pray that the country's millions of existing Iranian Christians will receive ongoing encouragement and strength, trusting in the Scriptural truth that no humanly devised restrictions can fully halt the effectual work of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 16:18). May God soften the hearts of governing leaders seeking to block all forms of Christian communication by revealing to them the error of their ways and the reality of the Risen Christ.

  • Current Ministry Fund

    By funding television broadcasts, VOMC is making it possible for a vast audience of viewers to be reached throughout Iran with the "Good News" of Jesus' love via satellite.

    Project Fund: Underground Church

  • Country Information

    Designation
    Persecuted

    Population
    87,590,873 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity
    Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen and Turkic tribes

    Religion (%)
    Islam (98.5), Christian (0.7), Baha'i (0.3), agnostic (0.3), other (0.2)

    Leader
    Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei (1989)

    Government type
    Theocratic republic

    Legal system
    Religious legal system based on secular and Islamic law

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Iran

    As the Gospel message goes forth over the airwaves, may the growth of the church continue to multiply despite persecution. Pray that the Iranian government will be open to change, allowing full rights and protection for its non-Muslim citizens as well. In the meantime, may those who are forced to flee the country find safe refuge and help so they can live in peace and worship the Lord with freedom.

Iran News

  • Armenian Christian Faces Ten-Year Sentence
    Hakop Gochumyan
    Hakop Gochumyan
    Photo: Article18

    Hakop Gochumyan and his wife Elisa are citizens of Armenia who went to Iran for vacation in August 2023. While the Christian couple and their two children were having dinner at a friend's house, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence raided the property. The authorities took the Christian family to the home of Elisa's grandmother, where the believers had been staying, and proceeded to search the residence. During the raid, Christian books and other personal belongings were confiscated. The couple was then taken to Evin Prison where they faced interrogation and intense psychological torture.

  • Esmaeil Narimanpour Sentenced to Prison
    Esmaeil Narimanpour
    Esmaeil Narimanpour
    Photo: Article18

    On Christmas Eve of 2023, Esmaeil Narimanpour was apprehended by security forces. The Iranian follower of Jesus was charged with "acting against national security by communicating with Christian 'Zionist' organizations." As of April 30th, he was released on bail after spending more than four months in detention. For more details relating to his case, see these previously posted reports.