By Katie O’Malley

Iran (MNN) — A Sunday protest led by a few Iranian shopkeepers in Tehran has spread to major cities across the nation. For the store owners, the breaking point came when Iran’s rial collapsed to 1.42 million to the dollar on Sunday. 

“The current demonstrations are the biggest that we have seen since 2022. But what’s interesting is this is not an isolated part of society. It affects many more people,” says Lana Silk with Transform Iran.

“Last time around, it was really just the young people and some activists, but these are regular, working-class people who are struggling to live and are protesting about it.”

Surprisingly, the Iranian regime’s response has been relatively tame. It has used tear gas instead of bullets against protesters. And that’s not the only surprise. 

“One rare, high-level action that was taken straight after the protest was the resignation of Mohammad Reza Farzin,” says Silk. Farzin served as the chief of Iran’s central bank beginning in December 2022. “It’s interesting that somebody who is directly related to the cause of the protests has stepped down. That’s unusual.” 

But Iran’s economic crisis needs many more direct actions from its leaders. Inflation is up by 42.2% compared to December 2024, according to the state statistics center. 

“When we look at that situation, we have to remember this isn’t people being melodramatic about their situation. This is about millions of people who cannot afford to eat every day,” Silk says of the demonstrators. “They have to make choices between eating and heating their homes in the winter, or worse, eating and covering costs of essential medical care.”

Transform Iran has received more calls for help than they can possibly respond to, but they understand it to be part of the call to follow Christ. Silk explains:

We can’t ignore people’s real practical needs while preaching a gospel of love. So practical aid becomes a critical component of effective ministry in the country. We welcome funds and resources given for that purpose so that we can give people the help that they need.

Please pray for gospel hope to reach Iranians. Consider partnering with Transform Iran to reach both believers and non-believers with tangible aid. 

“Let’s be praying for the Christians to be a light in these very dark spaces in Iran,” Silk says. “[Pray that] communities will get to know Jesus and find their only true salvation, only true life. They’re looking for life, for freedom, for hope.”

Header photo: Man in Mazandaran Province, Iran (photo courtesy of Lumière Rezaie via Unsplash)

First inset photo: Representative photo of Iranian police (photo courtesy of Alireza Heidarpour via Pexels)

Second inset photo: Representative stock photo of boy in Tehran, Iran courtesy of Fateme Alaei via Unsplash

Originally published on: Mission Network News