As the conflict between Israel and Iran’s terrorist proxy group Hezbollah in Lebanon widens, reports continue to surface of a growing division between the Iranian people and the Islamist regime of Ali Khamenei. Even as anti-Israel and anti-America protests get most of the attention in Iran, a burgeoning Christian movement is occurring under the surface, an expert on Iranian Christians says.

In Iran, Christianity is intensely persecuted, with the exception of small historical Armenian and Assyrian communities. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is considered apostasy and can be punished with death. Still, some reports suggest that conversions to Christianity and support for democracy are on the rise, with as many as 80% of Iranian citizens anonymously supporting a democratic government. In addition, some outlets have reported that thousands of mosques have closed due to the rising number of Iranians leaving Islam.

Hormoz Shariat is president of Iran Alive Ministries, an organization that broadcasts the gospel message via satellite TV programs in the Farsi language in predominantly Muslim countries like Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. On Monday, he joined “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” to discuss how an increasing number of Iranians do not support the Islamist regime’s attacks on Israel and are converting to Christianity.

“[Iranians] have experienced Islam and Islamic rule firsthand for over 40 years,” he noted. “And they’ve come to the conclusion, if the problem is not just the government, the problem is Islam itself. That’s why we see a high number of Iranian Muslims come to Christ, because they have not just rejected the government, they have rejected Islam. There is such a gap … between the government and the people. So when the government puts on these rallies saying, ‘Death to Israel, death to America,’ the people of Iran say, ‘We love Israel, we love America.’ And that’s the trend.”

Shariat also pointed out that there were also a number of Iranian Americans who came out in support of Israel after the October 7 Hamas attack.

“We know that the media covered … the pro-Palestine, pro-Hamas demonstrations in America,” he noted. “You saw it everywhere. You saw it on campuses. You saw it on the street. You saw it in Washington, D.C. But what you did not see is all the Iranians who came on the streets even in America, in Los Angeles, in Washington, D.C., in San Diego, everywhere. Iranians came out pro-Israel. Not even one Iranian rally was pro-Palestine, and the media did not cover that. Iranians are pro-Israel.”

Shariat went on to share his own story of how he converted from Islam to Christianity.

“I was born in Iran as a Muslim. … I came to the U.S. for my Ph.D. and I studied the Quran and I studied the Bible. I said, ‘I want to know God, but I’m open-minded.’ [I] compared the Bible and compared Quran, and I realized both cannot be true. … I went to church in downtown Los Angeles, heard the gospel, came to Christ, and my life was changed. … I’m not ashamed of the gospel. It’s powerful. … It healed my marriage. It can change everybody’s life. It can change a nation.”

Shariat further described how his ministry has spread. “[W]e … have a 24/7 satellite broadcast going over the heads of the mullahs — they cannot stop the signal from the sky. We go into people’s homes, millions of homes. [A]n independent survey [found] that we have seven million viewers every day. So we go into people’s homes, tell them about God’s love, and guess what? They are ready. Iranians are rejecting Islam. They’re ready for the message of the gospel.”

According to Shariat, a spiritual awakening is currently occurring in Iran. “It’s a move of God, and God uses suffering, and Iranians have suffered for 40-some years. … So there is an openness among Iranians. … God has used [suffering] to open their minds, open their eyes towards Islam. They … have rejected Islam [but] not [out] of emotion and [not from making an] overnight decision.”

Shariat concluded by asking for continued prayers for his ministry and Christians in Iran.

“Governments come and go, but the kingdom of God will stay,” he remarked. “So would you pray for the church in Iran? Would you pray for Iran Alive? You can go to IranAlive.org and get all these testimonies. … God has graciously positioned Iran Alive to have a major impact on the future of Iran and making history for the Lord. We see millions of people open, and we are serving them, but we need to change that to a movement. So pray for the Christians in Iran to stay strong. Pray for Iran Alive so we will have the right strategy from the Lord and be able to implement that.”