Source: www.MNNonline.org
Date: August 12, 2020
Iran (MNN) — Iran’s crackdown on truth grows more severe. A member of Iran’s coronavirus task force recently told reporters the COVID-19 toll could be 20 times higher than official figures. The next day, state officials closed down the newspaper that published his quote.
This closure comes days after a BBC investigation found Iran was covering up COVID-19 cases and deaths. The cover-up is no surprise to Heart4Iran’s Mike Ansari.
“The Iranian government has been consistently inconsistent in maintaining a transparent relationship with its own citizens and the international community,” Ansari notes.
“We’re receiving several hundred daily contacts from inside Iran, and most of them report the conditions in Iran are beyond hopeless.”
This is a resignation letter from Dr. Saeed Namaki, the minister of health in Tehran, to President Rohani vividly describing the dire medical situation in Iran.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Heart4Iran)
Iranians reaching out to Heart4Iran paint a bleak picture. The ministry receives “multiple accounts of clinics and hospitals brimming beyond capacity, filled with the bodies of the deceased due to Coronavirus and citizens hiding in fear of contraction,” Ansari adds.
Jamal from western Iran describes the following:
“Our brothers, parents, and children are dying in front of us. When we go to the hospitals and ask for testing they turn us away, blaming the shortage of supplies on the sanctions.”
In reality, “the Iranian government turned away early help and assistance from the US government and Doctors Beyond Borders. It is worth mentioning that the US sanctions do not target food and medicine imports for humanitarian causes,” Ansari notes.
“An Iranian doctor sent us a document indicating the dire situation in Tehran’s hospitals and their inadequacy to provide basic care to the citizens.”
Hope for Iran
Despite these troublesome developments, hope remains. As COVID-19 cases spike in Iran, so do decisions for Christ.
“Since March 2020, we at Heart4Iran have been registering over 3,000 monthly decisions by Iranians who have contacted us, wanting to leave Islam and learn more about Christianity,” Ansari says.
“This is a significant and historic, organic transformation in a nation that’s been under Islamic rule for the last 40 years.”
Heart4Iran represents a network of ministries working together to reach Iran for Christ. More about Heart4Iran’s work here. Use the prompts listed alongside this article to surround Iranian believers in prayer, Ansari requests.
“Iranian officials have increased persecution, house arrests and fines of those who attempt to leave Islam. We ask you to please join us at Heart4Iran to pray for the nation of Iran.”
Header image courtesy of Heart4Iran.