Elam Awakening Update | March 18
A Call For Prayer
In the United States, we are inundated with updates on the conflict in Iran from many viewpoints - political, military, economic, and more. It is critical, however, that we do not overlook the perspectives and experiences of the ordinary people of Iran. As this Call for Prayer emphasizes, there is an ongoing mix of true hope and real fear that arises in them day and night. The pressure and emotional toil follow them. That pressure multiplies all the more for believers, who are scrutinized more closely.
So, what can you do? Pray!
Pray when the sun rises and pray when the sun sets. Pray alone. Pray with your family. Pray with your church. Pray with your small group. Pray with your friends. Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The following is an urgent call for prayer that you can use as a guide. It was provided to us by an Iranian pastor, teacher, and evangelist. Please pray.
Dear esteemed mission partners and friends,
Iran is currently in a deeply critical and volatile situation. In these days, IRGC forces have established checkpoints throughout the streets, and at these checkpoints, they are threatening people with weapons in order to prevent them from coming into the streets and to stop any gathering from taking place. At the same time, the regime’s national television has openly and directly threatened the public, warning that if people return to the streets, they will face a massacre even greater than what took place on January 8 and 9.
Yet despite these threats, last night (March 17, 2026), many Iranians courageously came out of their homes to mark CHAHAR-SHANBEH-SURI, the traditional celebration held on the last Tuesday of the Persian year. This year’s gatherings took place in response to the call of Reza Pahlavi, the leader of Iran’s transitional movement beyond the Islamic Republic. Inside Iran and across the Iranian diaspora around the world, people joined in this celebration to demonstrate the unity and solidarity of brave Iranians. In streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces, they celebrated Chaharshanbe Suri despite the threats of the IRGC and other agents of the Islamic Republic.
What many people inside Iran are expressing at this moment is a painful mixture of hope and fear. There is hope because many believe that the fall of the regime may be near through increased external pressure and intervention. But there is also deep fear— fear caused by the sound of bombs and missiles, and even more so by what may happen if those sounds stop. Many people inside Iran have communicated the same concern: whenever the bombing and missile strikes pause, fear rises within them that this war might end without regime change, without the surrender of the Islamic Republic, and that they may once again be left alone with a bloodthirsty and murderous regime.
Alongside this national crisis, believers—especially members of house churches—are under even greater pressure. Reports of arrests have emerged from within the country. In one case close to us, the sister of one of our students has been detained for two weeks, and her family still does not know where she has been taken or how they can follow up on her case.
In light of these realities, we ask for your urgent and specific prayers.
Please pray that these hard days will be shortened, and that they will end with the victory of the Iranian people over the Islamic Republic, and with the surrender of the IRGC before the people and before the power of the United States and Israel.
Please pray for the people of Iran, who are suffering deeply yet continue to show extraordinary courage.
Please pray especially for house churches and Christian believers who are under multiplied pressure in these days, that God would protect and sustain them.
Please pray for those who have been arrested, including the sister of our student, that the Lord would preserve their lives, strengthen their faith, and open a way toward release and justice.
Please also pray for the families of the detained, who are searching desperately for news of their loved ones.
We ask you to stand with the suffering people of Iran in these difficult days, and to remember the church in Iran before the Lord.
With gratitude and hope,
[Your Friend]
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Outreach Foundation has many long-established relationships with Iranian believers. It is through them that we are able to bring you stories and perspectives you won’t find anywhere else.
We are asking for your help. Pray for the specific requests above. Share this update with friends and fellow believers so they might also join in prayer.
Finally we ask you to consider a gift to fuel the movement of hope. You may make a gift by sending a check to the address below with the partner name “Elam Awakening” on the memo line or you can donate on our website: www.theoutreachfoundation.org.
