Iran (MNN) — What started as economic frustration may now be momentum. Protestors in Iran – mostly shopkeepers and students – were in the streets again Wednesday for the fourth day in a row, calling out Iranian leadership for economic failures and abuse of power.

Greg Kelley with Unknown Nations says, “It feels a little bit different. I mean, these demonstrations are becoming very widespread. It’s going outside of Tehran, which is the main city, and so it’s literally becoming a wave across the entire country…. The people are calling for regime change right now, which is frightening to the regime.”

The unrest reflects deeper anger about where Iran’s leadership has invested its resources, even as ordinary families struggle to survive.

Tehran, Iran (Photo courtesy of Khashayar Kouchpeydeh/Unsplash)

“Ultimately, this is the people standing up and rejecting the foreign policy positions of Iran,” Kelley explains, “which has largely been investing, really, in terrorist activity.”

As pressure builds inside Iran, he urges Christians not to limit their prayers to the country’s borders.

“Largely, when we’re praying for countries, we just think of that geographic area. I really want Christians to recognize that there’s a Persian diaspora that is scattered in dozens of countries. We need to be praying for them.”

If regime change were ever to happen in Iran, it could have a significant impact on freedom and Gospel access in the nation.

Kelley says, “The Persian people outside of Iran, there’s many followers of Jesus, and they are trying to encourage their Iranian brothers and sisters inside of Iran right now to the best they can through technology. Life is incredibly difficult inside of Iran. But I’m telling you, as soon as this regime change happens, there is going to be a flood of resources and energy and enthusiasm [from] this underground Church that exists right now inside of Iran…. It is going to become revival.”

Unknown Nations supports believers advancing the Gospel both outside and within this largely unreached country.

(Photo courtesy of Zahra Amiri/Unsplash)

“We do have influence with the underground Church inside of Iran, but most of the training and equipping goes on outside of Iran,” Kelley says. “I was at a couple of conferences in Europe just recently with all kinds of Persian leaders, and they are excited. They are praying. They are white hot for the Gospel.”

Please pray for courage, wisdom, and protection for believers inside Iran, and for the Persian Church worldwide to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Learn more about Unknown Nations and their work at unknownnations.com.

Header photo: Representative photo of Iranian police. (Photo courtesy of Alireza Heidarpour via Pexels)