Iran is notorious for its intolerance towards religious and ethnic minorities. Christians and others have repeatedly been intimidated, arrested and tortured because of their faith. Many Iranian Christians are converts from Islam, and the state views them with particular suspicion because they’re deemed to have ‘abandoned’ their original faith. We’ve heard increasing levels of anti-Christian hate speech from senior government officials.

In February Iranian intelligence agents raided the home of three Christians, confiscating Bibles, laptops and Christian literature. The men were later ‘advised’ to leave the country. All three are members of the leadership team of the church led by Pastor Nadarkhani, who was sentenced to death for ‘apostasy’ in 2010 and acquitted in 2012.

This week please:

• Thank God for the miracles we’ve seen when we’ve prayed in the past, such as Pastor Nadarkhani’s release from prison;
• Ask God to protect and encourage the three men who were arrested in February;
• Ask God to comfort Pastor Behnam Irani, serving a six-year sentence on false national security charges;
• Pray that the hate speech from government officials wouldn’t have its desired effect of inciting intolerance against Christians and other minorities;
• Pray that Iranian Christians would be able to find strength and comfort in their fellowship with each other;
• Pray that President Rouhani would fulfil his election promise he made in 2013 to protect religious minorities;
• Pray for the release of all prisoners of conscience.