An Open Letter from some Iranian Christians to The Bishop of Chelmsford on the War with the Islamic Regime of Iran

INTRODUCTION

Following a recent letter in the Daily Telegraph by The Bishop of Chelmsford The Right Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, in response to an article by Lord Biggar making a case for the US – Israeli war on the Islamic Republic as a Just War, Iranians associated with our church community decided to respond to Bishop Guli’s comments in an open letter which was signed by 40 Iranian Christians.

The signatories include people who are living in Wolverhampton and have settled here with us, some with refugee status and some with British citizenship. It also includes others who have more recently joined our community and are still awaiting interviews, as well as individuals who have moved on from Wolverhampton after receiving refugee status but remain connected with us and continue to engage in some of our online activities.

Within the group there are people who have been in the UK since 2015, as well as others who have arrived only recently, and many in between. Some originally sought asylum because of their conversion to Christianity in Iran. Others, particularly since the Women, Life, Freedom uprising in 2022, fled for more political or cultural reasons and have gradually come to faith through engagement with our community over time.

The letter reflects the views and feelings of the Iranian members of our network in light of the recent conflict. While it represents the voices of those within our community who signed the letter, they are also conscious that their perspective is only a small reflection of the wider Iranian community, whose experiences and views are diverse. Nevertheless, the letter seeks to express honestly how many of them understand the current situation and how they are processing these events through both their lived experience and their Christian faith.

The leadership of the group are keen for this letter not to be seen as disrespectful toward the Bishop or toward her own story. Rather, they hoped to open a conversation with her about the situation in Iran and to express their understanding of the current circumstances, as well as their faith as Iranian Christians, in the same spirit in which she responded publicly to Lord Biggar.

The Letter published below is minus the names of the signatories for security reasons but the copy sent to Bishop Guli contained the full list of signatories

The Letter

Dear Bishop Francis-Dehqani,

Grace and peace to you.

We read your recent letter in The Daily Telegraph regarding the war involving Iran with careful attention and reflection. We write respectfully as members of the Iranian Christian community in the United Kingdom, speaking from the shared experience of many who have lived under, or been forced to flee from, the Islamic Republic.

We understand and respect your concern for justice, restraint, and the importance of international law. These are principles that Christians rightly hold in high regard. Yet for many Iranians, the present conflict cannot be understood apart from the long and painful history of violence that the Islamic Republic has inflicted upon its own people for more than four decades.

During the most recent nationwide uprising, referred to by many Iranians as the “Lion and Sun Revolution,” large numbers of protesters were reportedly killed in the streets by live ammunition used by state security forces. Numerous witnesses and documented reports indicate that some of those who survived the shootings and were taken to hospitals were later executed with gunshots to the head.

Only two years earlier, the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising shocked the world as many young Iranians were killed while calling for dignity, basic freedoms, and justice. These events were not isolated. They followed repeated waves of protest across recent decades, each met by the authorities with lethal force, mass arrests, and executions.

For many Iranians, this pattern is tragically familiar. Since 1979, the survival of the Islamic Republic has repeatedly depended on the suppression of its own citizens, particularly the younger generation. Many who called for reform, freedom, or basic human rights have faced imprisonment, torture, or execution after deeply unjust trials.

At the same time, the regime has long sustained its political legitimacy through hostility toward external enemies. For more than forty years, official rhetoric has been dominated by slogans such as “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.” Yet while these slogans have been repeated in public squares and state media, the greatest victims of the regime’s violence have again and again been the Iranian people themselves.

In the present moment, Iranians both inside and outside the country experience a mixture of emotions: fear for their families, uncertainty in the face of war, and yet also a fragile hope that the system responsible for so much suffering may finally be approaching its end.

It is also notable that Israeli leaders and military officials have repeatedly stated that their conflict is with the regime of the Islamic Republic rather than with the Iranian people. Many Iranians observing these developments recognise this distinction. By contrast, the same regime that shows little mercy toward its own citizens has for years extended violence beyond its borders through armed proxies and regional interventions that have brought instability and suffering to civilians across the Middle East.

We do not view this as a war against Iran, but rather as an operation aimed at the liberation of the Iranian people. As the governments of the United States and Israel have repeatedly and publicly stated, this conflict is not directed against the people of Iran. Evidence from the past few days clearly shows that only the regime’s centres of repression and military infrastructure have been targeted, creating conditions in which the Iranian people may take control of their own government.

As Christians, we do not support war easily and continue to value peace above all. Yet, in this context, we regard this operation as a means of rescuing the Iranian nation from a repressive regime. This step may ultimately pave the way for lasting peace in the Middle East, a region that has long suffered from conflict.

As Christians, we cannot ignore the deeper moral dimension of such realities. Scripture reminds us that rulers are accountable before God for the way they exercise power. The prophet Isaiah records that God raised up Cyrus, the Persian king, as an instrument through which the Jewish people were allowed to return from exile and rebuild Jerusalem (Isaiah 45; Ezra 1). In that story we see that God’s purposes in history often include the liberation of the oppressed and the restoration of justice.

The relationship between the Iranian and Jewish peoples, therefore, stretches back thousands of years and for long periods was marked by coexistence and mutual respect. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, however, that historic relationship was transformed into hostility by the ideology of the ruling regime, and countless lives have been affected as a result.

For this reason, many Iranians perceive a profound historical irony in the present moment. Just as a Persian ruler once played a role in the liberation of the Jewish people, some now hope that the current events may open a path toward the liberation of the Iranian people themselves, and that, in time, a more lasting peace may emerge in a region that has suffered for far too long.

For Iranian Christians, this hope also carries a deeply spiritual dimension. We pray for the day when no person in Iran will face imprisonment or execution because of their beliefs. We pray for a future in which people may worship freely, speak openly, and live with dignity under laws that protect freedom of conscience rather than punish it. We also pray for the day when the Gospel may be shared openly in our homeland and when followers of Christ may live peacefully alongside their fellow citizens without fear of persecution.

This hope is not rooted in vengeance. Rather, it flows from the Christian longing for justice, truth, and reconciliation. As the prophet Micah reminds us, God calls nations and individuals alike “to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

We offer these reflections with sincere respect for your ministry and with awareness of your family’s painful history in Iran. We write after listening carefully to the voices of many within our community who carry both the wounds of Iran’s past and a deep hope for its future.

Yours in Christ,

Bishop Guli’s response can be read here

In response representatives of the group replied

Dear Bishop Guli,

Thank you for your thoughtful and gracious response to our previous letter. We were sincerely touched by the spirit of kindness, pastoral care and respect that was evident throughout your reply. Your words carried a tone of friendship and Christian goodwill, and we are grateful for the care with which you engaged with our concerns.

Because your response reflects such warmth and generosity of spirit, we believe it could also help reduce misunderstanding around this conversation. For that reason, we would be grateful for your permission to share this exchange more widely beyond the original signatories. Our intention is not to amplify disagreement, but to demonstrate that in a free society people can hold different perspectives while still speaking with respect, honesty and goodwill.

We are grateful to live in a country where such dialogue is possible. One of the strengths of a democratic society is that individuals and communities can express their views openly without hostility or fear. Even where perspectives differ, conversations can still take place in the spirit of mutual respect and Christian fellowship. Ultimately, we are united by our faith in Christ, and each of us approaches these questions through the experiences that have shaped our lives.

For many of us as Iranians, our perspective is deeply shaped by decades of lived experience. For more than forty years the Iranian government has been engaged in negotiations with the international community in various forms. Yet from the perspective of many ordinary citizens, these negotiations have rarely led to meaningful change within the country. If the ruling authorities had been willing to compromise or listen to the voices of their own people, many believe that such change might have come long ago.

Instead, repeated waves of protest have been met with increasingly severe repression. In recent years, when citizens have gone into the streets asking simply for dignity, freedom and basic civil rights, they have often been labelled as enemies or even terrorists. Many people therefore struggle with the question of whether genuine reconciliation can be built with a government that has repeatedly responded to its own people with violence and without accountability.

These experiences have also shaped how many Iranians view decades of international negotiations. In practice, the outcomes have often meant prolonged sanctions and economic hardship carried by ordinary people in their daily lives. At the same time, many reports suggest that powerful structures within the state have continued to benefit financially, while the population has faced increasing poverty, isolation and economic pressure.

A central part of this reality is the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which forms a major pillar of the current political and security system. This institution has been widely accused of supporting armed groups and destabilising activities across the region, and it has been formally designated as a terrorist organisation by several countries.

Some observers often compare the current situation in Iran with earlier conflicts in Iraq or Libya. Yet many Iranians believe the context is different. In Iran there have been repeated nationwide protest movements where large numbers of citizens have openly demanded political change, often at enormous personal risk. These protests reflect a deep and sustained desire within society for a different future.

At the same time, despite the current conflict, there has not been a significant wave of Iranian refugees moving towards Europe. Many observers believe this reflects the determination of large numbers of Iranians to remain connected to their homeland and to pursue change within their country rather than abandon it. Among many Iranians, both inside the country and across the diaspora, there is a growing sense of unity and hope that one day the people themselves will be able to reclaim their country and shape its future free from repression.

We recognise fully that war brings suffering and moral complexity. None of us celebrate destruction or conflict. We love our homeland deeply and we grieve whenever Iran suffers. Yet many people also feel that for decades Iran has already been experiencing a slow and painful decline — an economy weakened by mismanagement, natural resources under strain, and a society burdened by increasing poverty, fear and restriction.

This is why some Iranians see the present moment not simply as another conflict, but as a fragile possibility that the structures of repression might weaken enough for the Iranian people themselves to shape a new future for their country.

In such difficult times many of us draw strength from the hope expressed in Scripture. As the Apostle Paul writes in the Letter to the Romans, “Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame.”

We also remember the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”

Please allow us also to say again that we do not claim to represent all Iranians. Our nation is diverse and opinions differ. What we have tried to share is simply one perspective among many within a much wider Iranian community.

Once again, thank you for your gracious response and for taking the time to listen to the voices of members of the Iranian Christian community. We remain grateful for your prayers and leadership, and we pray that wisdom, justice and peace may ultimately prevail for the people of Iran.

With respect and gratitude,

On behalf of members of the Iranian Christian community

St Chad’s and St Mark’s Church, Wolverhampton

See also Church Times article published on 13th March 2026