Iran (MNN) — Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, made his debut at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City this week. The assembly comes at a time when relations are increasingly strained between Iran and the United States.

Just last week, the Iran Internet Freedom Act, a bipartisan bill, was introduced in the US Senate. The bill would allocate funds to support secure internet service in Iran — especially for human rights defenders and marginalized groups — noting the importance of internet access for Iranian freedoms.

Mike Ansari with Heart4Iran says, “The Iranian regime’s enforcement of very strict Islamic laws and Sharia highlights the lack of religious freedom in the country.

(Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran)

“The government dictates religious practices, and its citizens, especially women, they really cannot even express their own faith or beliefs. The repression extends beyond Islam. Christians, Bahais, and other minority religious groups also face persecution, arrest, and imprisonment.

“So religious freedom in Iran is curtailed by both law and social norms that the ayatollahs and the ruling elite are trying to force upon people where, if you do not conform, then you are going to be facing severe penalties.”

Ultimately, Iranians need Jesus. “The Gospel proclaims that Jesus came to liberate humanity from sin and restore a right relationship with our Father,” says Ansari.

“This message is a powerful message that, in its own context, applies to people that are oppressed and denied their fundamental rights as it promises a freedom that transcends earthly circumstances.”

Pray Iranians know spiritual freedom in Christ.

Ansari encourages, “We need to also pray for change of hearts. Pray for those people who are subjecting average Iranian people to oppression that they might come to know and love the Lord and and the justice of Christ.”

Learn more about Heart4Iran’s ministry here, reaching Iranians with Gospel hope.

 

Header photo of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (Photo courtesy of Khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=150832367)