ANALYSIS
Despite reports that Iran is near collapse, an American evangelist is urging prayer for Christians, whom he believes to be at heightened risk as Islamic hardliners may lash out against supporters of the United States and Israel.
Evangelist Robby Dawkins says he has heard reports that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) may be emboldened to target leaders of the underground church. He announced an urgent call to prayer for Iranian Christians.
Dawkins issued a call to prayer following a recent mission trip to the Middle East.
Since 2019, Dawkins has planted power-evangelism schools in the Middle East, including the nations of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, where the church largely meets in underground locations.
Dawkins reports the Islamic Republic wants to eliminate voices that have witnessed war crimes by the regime. “I’m pleading with you to pray,” he said.
His plea comes as President Donald Trump said Iran wants the U.S. to open the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible in a social-media post from the White House.
Dawkins has been in the Middle East delivering Christian literature, including audio Bibles and three books he authored, all translated into the Farsi language, as well as the Jesus Film and dramatizations of the gospels.
Church leaders and secular Iranians welcomed 300 gospel media while Dawkins was in the Middle East.
“I met with 25 Iranian leaders who had been transported from Iran to Armenia to be trained,” said Dawkins, whose teaching focused on biblical instruction about healing.
One of the young, female leaders Dawkins met had bullets in her body from protests of the Islamic regime earlier this year. Stomach cramps bothered her until Dawkins’ team prayed; she was healed and delivered, he said.
“Many Iranians are terribly plagued by demons. I believe it is because they are under the operation of the regime and constantly surrounded by the demonic Islamic calls to prayer from the mosques,” said Dawkins.
As he spoke about Iran during the training, students began to cry due to heartache and oppression, said Dawkins, who was also moved to tears.
Speaking to them about Israel, Dawkins again noted tears from the Iranians, who told him: “Tell our Jewish cousins we love them and dream to be united with them again.”
In a dangerous trip to the Iranian border, Dawkins heard from several people who said some Westerners and Iranian citizens had been captured by the IRGC for imprisonment or death back in Iran.
A man Dawkins called Mehrdad bravely accompanied him after the two were guests of a Christian television program seen by millions. At the border, Dawkins and Mehrdad were stopped by five Russian soldiers who asked them for passports and questioned them about their business.
“I was concerned for Mehrdad, seeing how Russian soldiers shouldn’t be at (the) Iran/Armenian border. Our conclusion was they were there to protect oil marked to be shipped to Russia,” said Dawkins, who reported the incident to the U.S. and French embassies.
“By God’s grace, we were able to protect Mehrdad from having to produce his Iranian passport,” said Dawkins.
During the trip, Dawkins’ team took more Christian literature, bulletproof vests, and medical supplies to the Iraq border for transport into Iran by people who risk their lives to get desperately needed supplies into the closed nation.
While there, Dawkins met two Iraqi Kurdish leaders who are very close to accepting Jesus Christ, though both are concerned about potential persecution. Nevertheless, they fearlessly committed to smuggling supplies into Iran.
“Mehrdad and I had some very effective prophetic words for them that they verified were completely accurate. Pray for them to come to full surrender to Jesus as Lord,” said Dawkins.
In Israel, Dawkins preached at a Messianic congregation attended by members of the Israel Defense Force (IDF).
“I played a video of Mehrdad thanking the IDF for helping liberate Iran from the Islamic Republic. Many IDF there wept as they watched his video,” said Dawkins.
He also met with students at a Bible school, requesting they come to Iran and preach in the streets.
Dawkins is an international best-selling author and church equipper in the U.S. and 70-plus countries.
