SAT-7<\/a> broadcasts Christian programming across the Middle East and North Africa in Arabic, Turkish, and Farsi. Its Farsi-language channel, SAT-7 PARS, continues reaching viewers inside Iran \u2014 even when internet access and other communication channels are blocked by the government.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260115_181810-300x225.jpg\")
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Iran protests in Eastern Europe. (Photo courtesy of MNN)<\/p>\n
Joe Willey with SAT-7 says, \u201cWe know that satellite television is virtually uncensorable, and so we can broadcast even programs we have \u2014 and we\u2019ve done this. Programs that are created to be online, we can actually broadcast those programs on satellite television. So we can still reach people with the Gospel and with the support that the people of Iran need.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willey recently spoke with an Iranian man who has been able to communicate with contacts inside the country. According to those reports, protests are not fading.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of these protests dwindling, the numbers are increasing,\u201d Willey says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a desperate situation, and of course, the information coming out of Iran is filtered through government channels, because the government has throttled digital communication. The internet \u2014 and anything that uses the internet \u2014 is really blacked out.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the sharp drop in the Iranian rial sparked the unrest on December 28, dissatisfaction with the Islamist authoritarian regime has been building for years amid strict Sharia law and ongoing human rights abuses.<\/p>\n
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Iran protests in Eastern Europe. (Photo courtesy of MNN)<\/p>\n
\u201cThe shopkeepers started with economic protest because of a devalued currency and financial difficulty in the country,\u201d Willey says. \u201cThat has spread to freedom and wanting a different lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n
That pressure is also driving deeper spiritual questions.<\/p>\n
\u201cYounger people and even older people have questioned the harshness and severity of life under this regime,\u201d says Willey. \u201cThey will say, \u2018Well, if this is religion, if this is God, I don\u2019t want this. I\u2019m oppressed.’\u201d<\/p>\n
But when they encounter the message of Christ, Willey says the response is striking.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey say, \u2018Wait, are you telling me that because of Christ, I can be free?\u2019 It is a completely different message. It is the true hope of Scripture, and Iranians are eager to hear that because of what they\u2019ve been through. So SAT-7 can still broadcast the message of freedom that ultimately is eternal in Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Iranian Christians navigate this tense moment, Willey says their witness matters deeply.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe difficult thing is for believers in Iran right now to be salt and light,\u201d he says. \u201cThis is an opportunity, and it\u2019s easy for me to say, but they have an opportunity to show the hope they have in Christ\u2026. I honestly pray that a great awakening would happen in Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Iran protests in Eastern Europe. (Photo courtesy of MNN)<\/p>\n
A Christian woman inside Iran recently shared a prayer request with SAT-7: \u201cPlease pray for freedom for Iran and for us Christians in the country. The conditions are very hard, and I\u2019ve not been able to get my medicines for several weeks. Food is not easier to find, and the state of education is unsatisfactory, with children feeling discouraged and young people struggling with hopelessness. Please keep Iran in your prayers.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Header photo: Iran protests in Eastern Europe. (Photo courtesy of MNN)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Iran (MNN) \u2014 As Iran\u2019s government tightens its blackout on digital communication amid growing unrest, one platform remains…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":410733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4,450,451,3,452,453],"class_list":["post-410732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news","tag-breakingnews","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/410733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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