[Today's Prayer] Khamenei, who lost limbs inside and out... Iran's theocracy is shaking

The foundation of the regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ruled Iran with an iron fist for 36 years as the supreme leader of Iran for a week, has been shaken by the Israeli airstrikes that have continued for a week, and is facing its greatest crisis. Khamenei said, "I will never surrender" in response to US President Donald Trump's "demand for surrender." However, the regime's vulnerability has been clearly revealed as Khamenei's closest aides have been largely eliminated by Israeli precision strikes, and infrastructure such as energy facilities have been extensively destroyed.

On the 18th (local time), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Iran's theocracy, which has lasted for nearly half a century, is on the verge of collapse due to Israeli airstrikes. Iran overthrew the pro-Western Pahlavi dynasty in 1979 and launched the Iranian Revolution, establishing the Islamic Republic, a theocracy ruled by the supreme leader.

According to the WSJ, Iran had to replace at least six senior military commanders after the Israeli airstrikes on the 13th. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is in charge of national security, is in a hurry to recover from the damage.

Reuters reported that the deaths of Khamenei’s key military and security staff members have created a large vacuum within the leadership and increased the possibility of strategic miscalculation.

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In addition, the “Axis of Resistance,” a proxy force supported by Iran, is also not exerting any real influence in the current situation. The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and the Palestinian armed group Hamas have had their leadership removed and their organizational power weakened due to the war with Israel. The Yemeni Houthi rebels announced that they would “support Iran in defeating Israel,” but have remained silent since then. Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, a close ally of Iran, was ousted in December of last year.

The economic crisis caused by Western economic sanctions is also threatening the Khamenei regime. Iran's gross domestic product (GDP) has decreased by 45% since 2012, the WSJ reported.

Even before the Israeli airstrikes, Iran's internal discontent over the economic crisis was growing, leading to strikes and protests. Nurses and telecommunications workers protested over unpaid wages, and shoemakers and merchants in Tehran's traditional market went on an unusually large-scale strike in December last year to protest high prices.

The Israeli airstrikes were a trigger for increasing domestic unrest. The WSJ reported that the value of the Iranian currency plunged 13% in a matter of days, and concerns about an energy crisis are growing as Iran's natural gas and oil refinery infrastructure are being damaged.

The internal crisis in Iran is deepening after the Israeli airstrikes. With internet access blocked and shelters in short supply, cities are virtually paralyzed as stores, schools, and factories are closed. Meanwhile, Iranian authorities are cracking down on Israeli spies and are strengthening control over their citizens by detaining opponents of the regime and members of political organizations.

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Elie Geranmayeh, an Iran expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, pointed out that after the Israeli airstrikes, “the social contract between the Iranian regime and its people, in which the state guarantees minimal security in exchange for severely restricting political, social, and economic rights, has fundamentally collapsed.”

If the strong ruling system centered around Khamenei collapses, Iran could face ethnic divisions. Iran is home to Arabs, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, and Baluchis, some of whom support independence.

If Khamenei dies, Iran could fall into even greater chaos. Since Ebrahim Raisi, who was considered Khamenei’s successor, died in a helicopter crash last year, there is no clear successor to the theocratic regime, and Khamenei’s son Mojtaba is considered a strong successor. After Khamenei's death, there is also the prospect that hardliners who are actively developing nuclear weapons could establish a new military-centered dictatorship.

Source: Nate News

Return to your peace, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 116:7-9)

In Iran, which has maintained a theocratic regime for 46 years since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, we hear the welcome news that the foundation of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei regime, who reigned as the supreme leader for 36 years, is being shaken and is facing its greatest political crisis.

We believe that the Lord has led the situation inside and outside Iran, such as the deaths of Khamenei’s closest associates and destruction of infrastructure due to the Israeli airstrikes that have continued for a week, and the ongoing strikes and protests due to the economic difficulties caused by the Western economic sanctions.

The Iranian government is strengthening its control over its citizens by blocking internet access to prevent internal news from being heard in order to maintain the regime, cracking down on Israeli spies, and detaining opponents of the regime, but we see that the time has come for the distrust and suppressed emotions toward the Islamic government that have been brewing since the hijab protests to explode among the Iranian people.

Please let the hopes of Iranian Christians and the global church, who have gathered inside and outside Iran to keep their faith, come true and may the day come when they can declare freedom from the bondage of Islam that has bound Iran for the past 46 years.

Now, please pour the peace of heaven on Iran, so that it can become a land of life that embraces Israel and other peoples in the Middle East who have been enemies until now, and may the Iranian diaspora community, who have been living in exile to keep their faith even while leaving their own people, return and enjoy the day.

In the midst of the great chaos that will occur when Khamenei dies, may the Iranian Christian community proclaim the gospel and seek the kingdom of God, and may Christian leaders be established in Iran who will establish laws and social systems based on the word of truth.

In this way, may the Lord's new day come when Iran becomes a new nation and new people before the truth of Jesus Christ, renewing the Middle East and the nations!