“We know your hearts are beating for Iran,” one viewer wrote to us recently. “These days more than ever we need your spiritual support, encouragement and solidarity.”
These words arrived during one of the darkest moments many Iranians have faced in recent years. As Iran and the Strait of Hormuz dominate world headlines again this week, the outside world is focused on missiles and diplomacy. Inside Iran, another crisis has been unfolding.
When Iran's government shut down internet access during widespread protests in January 2026, reports estimated the vast majority of Iran’s 90 million population had been cut off from the outside world, making it one of the most extensive communications shutdowns recorded. The protests, sparked by economic grievances and calls for political freedom, saw demonstrators take to the streets across the country. Families abroad waited anxiously for news as phones fell silent. But even as the internet went dark, one form of communication kept flowing: satellite television.
Satellite television
For the country's Christian community – already one of the most isolated in the world – it became an essential lifeline.
When internet blackouts cut Iranians off from the outside world, satellite television continued broadcasting despite the government’s attempts to disrupt them.
Unlike digital platforms, satellite signals are far harder to silence. Programmes offering worship, Biblical teaching, prayer and practical encouragement still went out across the country, reaching straight into families’ homes.
Keeping broadcasts on air has required constant technical adaptation. When disruption to the Yahsat satellite service cut off SAT-7 PARS broadcast to viewers in late February, an alternative transmission was secured on the TürkmenÄlem satellite within days. Viewers were able to reconnect without changing their dishes. What began as a short-term solution has since developed into a longer-term presence on a new platform, underscoring how fragile, yet resilient, this communication can be.
United in Christ
For many viewers, this connection matters deeply. Seeing other believers worship, hearing Scripture taught in their own language, and receiving prayer, reminds them that the global church has not turned away from them.
The letters of the New Testament were written to scattered believers facing hostility, offering encouragement across distance and uncertainty. In a very different age, satellite television serves a similar purpose. It connects people of faith across borders, reminding them they are part of one body, united in Christ.
Nowhere is that reality clearer than in Iran, often described as home to one of the world’s fastest-growing evangelical house-church movements with much of it operating underground.
Christians remain a small minority, yet many continue to meet in secret, share their faith online when possible, and support one another under constant pressure.
The risks they face extend far beyond the immediate dangers of protest.
Persecution
According to Open Doors' 2026 World Watch List, Iran ranks 10th globally for Christian persecution, with many unable to attend church openly. Conversion to Christianity can mean years of imprisonment, loss of employment, or restricted access to medical care. For some families, faith must remain entirely hidden, even from neighbours, for fear of consequences.
During the protests across Iran and amid increasing global tensions over the past several weeks, Christians have found themselves in a particularly precarious position. Advocacy groups, such as Article 18, have reported Christians as among those arrested and killed in the crackdowns. Yet stories of remarkable courage emerge alongside this suffering. Many continue to provide food, water, and medical care to protesters, even as security raids intensify.
One grieving father whose Christian son was killed during the protests shared an extraordinary hope with SAT-7 PARS: that his sacrifice would help bring deliverance to Iran. Even in devastating loss, Iranians are still finding hope.
When the internet goes dark, hope finds another way. It’s beaming across borders into living rooms and hiding places, reminding isolated communities they are not alone.
As U.S.-Iran negotiations hang by a thread, the people receiving these broadcasts tonight are the same community living under the threat of arrest, imprisonment and, in some cases, execution while the world watches the Strait of Hormuz.
Though Iran may fade from the headlines one day, the danger for its Christians does not. We must not forget them. Their courage deserves our attention, our prayers and our solidarity.
