Iran's Opportunity? 

New sense of hope for the Iranian people

“Netanyahu’s Iran war: long planned, recklessly pursued – and perilous for all.” This was the title of The Guardian’s editorial on the current war between Israel and Iran. The next opinion piece had as its title “The Iranian people were starting to win their battle for liberty and prosperity. Then Israel attacked.” Notorious Israel-hater Owen Jones had, unbelievably, as his subtitle for his opinion piece, “Israel is the main source of terror and instability in the Middle East” - a complete inversion of the truth. 

Media demonisation of Israel

At the very beginning of the recent troubles in the Middle East, after October 7th ’23, there was a lot of sympathy for Israelis in this left-wing newspaper. Then began the war in Gaza, and sympathy was gradually replaced with both genuine reports on the hardships of living through the war for ordinary Palestinians, and outright accusations of evil of the part of the Israelis. 

With headlines like this, it’s no surprise that the vast majority of Britons today who only read or watch the free-to-access journalism of The Guardian and the BBC view Netanyahu as the power-hungry cartoon villain, and his country as a people intent on dominating and subduing all around them. Consequentially, we have seen with horror the upsurge in hatred of the Jewish people as a whole. 

But what is really happening in Iran? Is this conflict truly the consequence of a war-mongering Zionist? 

Iran’s ambition

Thankfully, no – though the reality is even more disturbing. From its foundation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, which began with the revolution in 1979, has stated its intention to obliterate Israel. And not just Israel, which it denotes as the Little Satan, but the UK and the US too, the latter to which it gives the moniker Great Satan. 

Netanyahu quite simply decided that Israel must act before it was too late ...

This is a regime that has been building up nuclear capability, not for peaceful electrical generation, but for aggressive war against its enemies. Israeli intelligence indicated very recently that Iran was close to its aims of enriching uranium to the extent that it could equip nuclear warheads, possibly within days, together with other potential indicators, such as radiation testing and developing explosives that could become a detonation device. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency had just formally declared that Iran was in breach of its nuclear obligations. The latest round of talks had seemingly not progressed sufficiently. Netanyahu quite simply decided that Israel must act before it was too late – before Iran could bring its nuclear capability to a sufficient level to annihilate the whole of the tiny country. The main thrust of Israel’s precision, intelligence-led attacks is against military installations and nuclear development sites. Military commanders have been killed, as well as nuclear scientists. The regime is facing a huge reckoning. 

Oppression of its own people

You would think that all Iranians would be hating Israel at this point. Of course, if the war goes on too long, this could become a real possibility. But the theocracy in charge in Tehran is hated by its people. Only three years ago, widespread demonstrations, encouraged by western governments, were brutally suppressed.

These were protests that began after the inhumane treatment and death of a young student girl who was imprisoned for not correctly wearing the hijab, for allowing some of her hair to go uncovered. After many weeks, the regime succeeded in suppressing the uprising, using torture and many executions to enforce their authoritarian control. The western world looked on from afar as the Iranian populace proved unable to overturn their rulers. 

The western world looked on from afar as the Iranian populace proved unable to overturn their rulers. 

Christians, of course, have long known about the harsh suppression of Iran’s people. The majority of refugees from there were either Christian converts, or converted to Christianity soon after settling in the West. Iranians have made up significant numbers of churches in my locality (my parents hosted a Christian Iranian refugee for a long time, years ago, so I have long had an interest in this oppressed country).

In 2013, Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh published their account of their incarceration and torture in the notorious Evin prison, where they were held for the crime of sharing their Christian faith. With great boldness, they continued to share their faith in Jesus with fellow prisoners, until their eventual release. And in the meantime, the revival in Iran has gathered pace, with evidence that many mosques have had to close, as people turn away from Islam, the religion of their oppressors. 

Those rulers are now shaking in their boots. Regime change is not a stated aim of the Israeli offensive. But it does make it a real possibility, one which Israel is aware of, and would welcome. There are huge challenges, not least that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have vast numbers at their disposal to suppress any attempt at removing the government. Yet there is a National Council of Resistance of Iran, linked to the group coordinating recent uprisings, which offers a democratic alternative.

Longing for regime change

Curiously, we have seen in Iran over the last few days reports of car bombs outside government buildings, something Israel denies having involvement in. Considering Israel has been happy to be acknowledged as the origin of all the other attacks, these car bombs presumably came from an internal faction intent on bringing down the government. 

Iranian exiles speak in mixed terms of the conflict. 

Iranian exiles speak in mixed terms of the conflict. One quoted in The Telegraph said, “I don’t think my people will be happy to fight against Israel, because they hate the regime,” he said. “They’ve hated it for 47 years. I am talking to my family and friends. Some live very close to where the bomb killed some of the [Iranian commanders]. They say this is just one way for the regime to fall.” 

Another said, “This is not our war. We don’t like war. Iranian people are just looking for peace. The problem is the Islamic Republic is keeping the people hostage and every time we have uprising after uprising, they just kill more people inside Iran.…I had two feelings. I can’t express how difficult it was. In one way we are happy because we feel there is hope for a regime change now as there could be an opportunity for people inside Iran to uprise and finish it. But it can only be the Iranian people who will finish it.” 

This lady told The Telegraph that other activists still living in Iran had told her they were happy to die if it meant an end to the regime. “People I spoke to inside Iran, who were not connected to Islamic Republic, they were extremely happy. It wasn’t what I expected”.

Arab neighbours

That feeling, of course, isn’t universal – others are fearful, and are not convinced by Netanyahu’s message to Iranian citizens that he isn’t targeting them. Tehran residents, however, have followed his warning to evacuate the capital city, rather than obey their own government, which has urged them to stay put and stand their ground. 

Syria’s new government has so far stayed silent, refusing to condemn Israel at all. 

It's also interesting to see what Israel’s Arab neighbours are doing, amidst the general outcry against Israel. Syria’s new government has so far stayed silent, refusing to condemn Israel at all. Of course, it was Iran’s support for so long that propped up the hated Assad regimen. Others have outwardly condemned the strikes, genuinely fearful of a further escalation of the war, yet, according to both the Times of Israel, and the Spectator, quietly welcome the of weakening of Iran by the Jewish state, having long been concerned about its nuclear ambitions and its funding of terrorist proxies to destabilise the region. 

People’s uprising

The best hope for Iran is for its people to rise up and protest against what is a now much-weakened state – one which has lost two heads of its army in quick succession, with the IRGC also now without its leadership. However, whilst under bombardment, the citizens will be unable to do this. 

Israel (and possibly the US, which is reportedly considering getting involved) must avoid continuing too long with their direct offensive, which will only risk turning the people of Iran against the Jewish state, as they face further fear, deprivation and loss of life. The longer the war drags on, the greater the risk of this. The bigger danger (along with the substantial risk of a wider war that pulls in many other countries) is that they will begin to support their own leaders in resisting the external enemy. 

Though very understandably fearful of what an escalation of this war might mean, Western nations need to be very careful that they are not just continuing to spout anti-Israeli propaganda, portraying the country as a highly powerful, war-mongering aggressor, with a leader desperate to curry favour with his own people, to the detriment of its neighbours – which is the impression that the Guardian gives. 

Anti-Israel activists need to look at what a vile regime they are sympathising with ...

We’ve already seen what the consequences of that have been in the murders and attempted assassinations of Jews in the United States recently. Anti-Israel activists need to look at what a vile regime they are sympathising with, as well as the horrors and instability that the Tehran regime has instigated across the Middle East. They also need to consider the people of Iran themselves, who deserve so much better than what they have.

Pray for Iranians

We often encourage people to pray for Israel and for its protection. It certainly needs it, with many of Iran’s missiles evading the Iron Dome defence system and killing civilians. 

But it is the Iranian people, many of whom are our brothers and sisters in Christ, who most need our prayers at the moment. Pray for their peace and protection. And pray that, if it is God’s will, they could take advantage of this terrible situation, and so enact a radical, but peaceful, transformation in this deeply troubled, yet beautiful and promising country.

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