Over the past few days, the truth emerging from Iran has been heavier and darker than many imagined. What is unfolding is no longer describable as unrest, clashes, or riots. It is a systematic, nationwide massacre, the deadliest repression Iran has witnessed since 1979.
New reports indicate that over 36,500 people have been killed since the start of the protests across the nation, while other sources like HRANA, state the number of approximately 23,000 people deceased so far. In both assumptions, the numbers are frightening. Families and eyewitnesses report that countless bodies have never reached hospitals, morgues, or graveyards. Instead, they are believed to be secretly stored in large facilities or hidden locations, deliberately kept out of public record so the scale of the killings remains concealed.
The Internet Returns, and With It, Horror
After nearly two weeks of near-total internet shutdown, limited connectivity has slowly returned. At first, many hoped this would bring relief. Instead, it has brought a deeper shock.
As images, videos, and testimonies emerge, it has become clear that the reality is far worse than what people feared during the blackout. The numbers of those killed, arrested, injured, and later executed are staggering. Yet even with access restored, fear governs every message. Families of the dead are warned not to speak. People are told not to post, not to comment, not even to like or follow content related to the protests. Surveillance is everywhere. Phones are monitored and silence is enforced.
Across the country, families are desperately searching for their loved ones. Parents move from hospital to hospital, from prison to prison, clinging to the smallest hope of news. In cases of arrest, families are often told that release is possible only if they pay high-priced bail, yet even when the money is gathered, many detainees are never freed. According to trusted sources, young people are being held in large shed-like detention facilities, executed in secret, and later reported as having been “killed during protests,” allowing executions to continue without accountability.
Some of the most harrowing testimonies come from medical professionals. One doctor described scenes where security forces fired shots at injured protesters. Another shared that armed forces removed wounded individuals from hospital wards and locked them inside morgues, denying them medical care. Throughout the night, the cries of the injured could be heard—until, one by one, the voices stopped. By morning, all were dead. Bodies wrapped in black bags were laid out on floors, side by side. Families were forced to walk among them, opening bag after bag, searching for familiar faces. Hospitals are no longer safe spaces.
Christians: Part of the Nation, Yet Even More Vulnerable
Christians in Iran are not separated from society; they are deeply woven into it. They grieve the same losses, fear the same violence, and stand alongside their fellow citizens. Yet they face additional layers of vulnerability.
Christians haven’t been free to openly express or practice their faith. Now, even meeting a Christian friend feels dangerous. Gathering as a house church is almost impossible. Online ministries, already risky, are now under intense monitoring. Even quiet phone conversations with pastors or leaders abroad are filled with fear. Christians know that during times of unrest, the government often looks for groups to accuse of collaboration with Western countries or “acting against national security.” Not only are Christians among those killed in the protests, but there has also been a new wave of arrests targeting house churches and believers.
Beyond the Borders
The danger does not end outside Iran. A partner shared the story of a refugee Christian couple known for their online ministry who were suddenly summoned by immigration authorities. Without warning, they were taken to a detention camp and told they were a “threat to national security.” Despite hiring lawyers, they were informed that deportation back to Iran is being considered.
If returned, families with public Christian ministries would face immediate persecution. “Please keep them in your prayers,” the partner pleaded, “pray for this couple, and for all those in the camp who may be sent back especially in the current situation in Iran.”
Voices from the Church
Maryam*, a Christian woman who is serving the underground Church in Iran shares: “Please pray for our people. What they have seen with their own eyes and heard with their own ears has deeply affected them. One sister locked herself inside her home out of fear. She cannot sleep at night, is highly traumatised, and cannot stop crying. ‘I wish we could pray over phone’ is what she quietly shared. Please also pray for us who serve Christians inside Iran. Ask the Lord to give us discernment and wisdom to know how to pray, how to guide, and how to comfort. We are affected too by what we hear and carry.”
Majid* a Christian brother said: “I managed to speak with my family after two weeks of dark thoughts. Praise God they are alive, but they are not well. Even their voices are different. I heard that my brother has been kept in prison for 10 days and beaten up to death. They were afraid to share more details because of monitoring. There are rumours that the internet may be cut off again, cutting people off from the world completely.”
Another sister, Ziba*, pleads: “Please share your experiences with us. When your countries faced war, how did you pray? How did you survive spiritually? The Church in Iran wants to be salt and light in this moment. We want to bring truth and hope to our nation. But after years of oppression done in the name of God, we fear how people will respond to the gospel. Please pray that God shows us how to love our community with the hope of Jesus.”
Please pray:
- Ask God to stop the violence, to expose hidden crimes, and to bring accountability where there has been impunity.
- Lift up families searching for their children, those mourning, and the traumatised, especially young people and children.
- Pray for protection and wisdom for believers. Ask the Lord to guard Christians, give them discernment, courage, and creative ways to remain salt and light amid fear and surveillance.
- Pray for refugees and those at risk of deportation. Intercede for Iranian Christians in neighbouring countries, that doors will remain open and lives will be spared.
- Pray for the Iranian diaspora who suffers from afar with their people. Pray they will speak up on behalf of those that the authorities are trying to silence. Pray they will continue to be able to reach out and communicate with loved ones inside Iran.
- Pray for hope to rise where despair is deepest. Ask God to reveal Himself as the God of justice, truth, and resurrection life, bringing light even in the shadow of death.
Stay updated with the latest prayer requests from the persecuted church.
