How Heart4Iran Has Reached Iranians with the Gospel for 20 Years

For the past 20 years, CBN’s Heart4Iran has played an integral role in bringing the gospel to Iran, one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a Christian. 

On March 1, 2006, Heart4Iran launched Mohabat TV, the first 24/7 Farsi-language Christian satellite television channel.

“We realized there is a huge appetite for the gospel of love in Iran,” Mike Ansari, Heart4Iran’s former executive director, said. “We don’t engage in political discussions or debates over Islam. We just purely talk about the love of Christ, and Iranians, in numbers, reach out to us and say, ‘Tell us more.’”

Over the years, the ministry has received more than 650,000 calls from Iranians and documented over 240,000 decisions to follow Christ, according to Edwin Abnous, executive director of Heart4Iran.

For some, Mohabat TV is their only connection to other Christians. 

“I grew in my faith watching Mohabat TV. I didn’t know any other Christians. I would contact the call center, and they would pray for me,” an Iranian Christian whose identity is concealed for security reasons said. 

Decades of political oppression have taken an emotional and spiritual toll on the Iranian people. Abnous explained that many callers reach out, hoping to find joy and peace. 

“They are traumatized people,” he said. “Many are searching for answers on how to fix their lives.” 

One of the most powerful elements of Mohabat TV is its live call-in programming, where viewers can ask questions or receive prayer, sometimes at great personal risk. 

During one broadcast, a woman named Mahtab called and shared her desire to give her heart to Jesus Christ. As hosts prayed with her on air, she took a step of faith that many Iranians can only take in secret.

Despite the risks, Iranians continue to seek the truth, and the underground church in Iran continues to grow. 

“Iran is a closed region to the gospel, yet we are seeing that the Church in Iran, the underground church in Iran, is multiplying at a very fast rate,” Ansari said.

Mohabat Virtual Church is a live, online church where isolated believers can worship together weekly, ask questions, and receive pastoral counseling.

When internet access in Iran is restricted or shut down, Mohabat TV’s satellite still reaches into people’s homes. Programs like Reach for Life, Women of Grace, and Superbook provide teaching, encouragement, and biblical resources. 

Our House, Our Church teaches Iranian Christians how to have a house church. 

“It’s one of the greatest resources we can offer the Church inside Iran, a Church that doesn’t have access to any theological schools, any church buildings or established Christian institutions,” Mohabat TV host Pastor Sasan Tavassoli said. “Through this program, we’re mobilizing and resourcing the house church movement in Iran.”

As Heart4Iran marks 20 years of ministry, its mission remains unchanged: to share the gospel and help believers grow strong in their faith.

“I pray for increasing resilience and courage for the Church in Iran to be the beacon of hope and the light in that country,” Abnous said.