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

  • Retrial Denied for Imprisoned Believer
    Mehran
    Mehran Shamloui
    Photo: Article 18

    Iran's Supreme Court has recently rejected the application for a retrial that was submitted on behalf of Mehran Shamloui, a Christian believer who is currently serving a ten-year prison sentence for his participation in house church activities. Recipients of previously published Persecution & Prayer Alert reports may recall that Mehran had fled to Türkiye in search of refuge. While there, the accused Iranian was apprehended and forced to return to Iran, where he had subsequently been arrested. (The initially posted report regarding Mehran's arrest may be reviewed here.)

  • Over 50 Arrested Christians Accused of Espionage
    A map of Iran has several labels, all showing where Christians were arrested since June 24, 2025.
    A map of Iran, marking the arrests
    of Christians since June 24, 2025. 
    (Click on the image for a larger view.)
    Photo: Article18

    Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) recently reported that over 50 Christians have been arrested since the end of the recent conflict between Iran and Israel in June 2025. The country's intelligence agency labelled the detained believers as "Mossad mercenaries," claiming that they had been trained by churches abroad and were now operating "under the guise of the Zionist Christian evangelization movement."

  • Convicted Christian Deported and Arrested
    Mehran
    Mehran Shamloui
    Photo: Article 18

    On March 8th, Mehran Shamloui was one of three Christians convicted in Iran for "propaganda" and membership in an alleged "opposition group." He was sentenced to more than ten years in prison. (For more details, see this report.)

  • Laleh Saati Receives Conditional Release
    A smiling Laleh is outside, and the sun is shining on her face. A tree is in the background.
    Laleh Saati
    Photo: Article18

    Laleh Saati is a Christian convert and former asylum-seeker who was incarcerated in February 2024 and sentenced to two years in prison. (For more information on the imprisonment of this 46-year-old Iranian follower of Jesus, visit this page.) Throughout Laleh's time in custody, concerns have been raised about her physical health and psychological well-being. Most recently, it was reported that the Christian woman was denied needed medical treatment for a hand injury that had occurred as a result of a fall.