The 1979nIranian revolution replaced the then Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi with an Islamic theocratic government controlled by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The Shah, who functioned as Iran’s king, died a year later while in exile in Egypt. He was 60 years of age.

His son Reza Pahlavi, who is often referred to as Iran’s crown prince, recently spoke at Liberty University, based in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA.

For 40 years, Reza has been working in exile to see the Iran’s Islamic regime toppled.

But in his presentation this past Easter, he acknowledged Christianity’s growing presence in Iran.

“For those of you grounded in faith, there is another truth,” Pahlavi said. “In Iran today, Christianity is not fading. It is rising quietly, powerfully underground. In homes, in whispers, in hidden gatherings, Iranians are finding faith at great cost. Pastors are imprisoned. Bibles are confiscated. Believers are hunted. Converts are threatened with execution. Families are torn apart. But still they gather.”

“Still, they pray. Still, they believe,” Pahlavi continued. “Because faith that survives persecution is unbreakable. Because the light shines brightest in the darkest place.”

He then pointed out that the current regime’s desire to crush Christianity is a complete contrast to Iran’s storied history.

Pahlavi cited one of Iran’s ancient leaders, King Cyrus, who was favorable to the Jews and restored them to the Promised Land. He was also a man, who God referred to as His Chosen Servant (Isaiah 45:4-6).

“There was a time when Iran stood for something very different,” Pahlavi said. “Over 2500 years ago, Cyrus the Great, a Persian king, freed the Jewish people from captivity. He restored their rights. He respected their faith. He is remembered in scripture not as a tyrant but as a liberator. This is Iran’s true legacy. A nation of tolerance, a nation of dignity, a nation that once stood on the side of freedom.”

“The regime that rules Iran today has betrayed that legacy. It does not represent the Iranian people. It fears them and it will fall because of them,” Pahlavi added.

There have been reports in recent years of how Christianity is flourishing in Iran, despite the overt persecution.

In 2020, a secular organization called GAMAAN ¹ based in Holland surveyed 50,000 Iranians. Over 90% of them lived in Iran, which has population of 91 million.

It came to the stunning conclusion that there were over 1.2 million Christians in Iran, even though it’s illegal for a Muslim to convert to Christianity.

It revealed the dramatic increase in the number of Christians that has taken place over the last two decades. In 2006, the regime reported only 106,000 Christians in Iran.

But Perhaps the most telling indicator of what is taking place comes from the Iran’s Muslim clerics.

Mohabat News is a Christian organization that monitors Iranian news sources. In 2017, it reported on a warning issued by Ayatollah Alavi Boroujerdi. He teaches at an Islamic seminary in Qon, a city considered to be a bastion of the Muslim faith in Iran.

In an address to religious students, he complained that city youth were turning to Christ in increasing numbers.

He even cited the son of an Islamic cleric who had become a Christian. He added that the underground church movement was the biggest problem.

“Accurate reports indicate that the youth are becoming Christians in Qom and attending house churches,” Boroujerdi said.

There have also been reports of thousands of Mosques closing in the country. According to a speech given in 2023 by Mohammad Abolghassem Doulabi, a Senior Islamic Cleric, nearly 50,000 of Iran’s 75,000 mosques have closed.

While he blamed a lack of government funding for their closure, others quickly pointed to the real reasons. Iranian mosques are little more than political mouthpieces for a regime, that is despised by most Iranians. Many people have left because they are joining other religions.