ARMENIA near the IRANIAN BORDER – Iranians throughout the region are celebrating, including a community of Christian refugees here in neighboring Armenia. That’s where CBN’s Operation Blessing is getting ready to provide food, shelter, and other aid to refugees fleeing Iran.
News of Khamenei’s death sparked celebrations among Iranians living in Armenia’s capital. For many, this is the moment they’ve been praying for – the end of a regime that drove them from their homeland.
Iranian Expat Parham said, “Yesterday, when we heard about the news, that Khamenei is dead. At 1 a.m., we went to the street in front of the Iranian embassy and start dancing a bunch of people.”
An Iranian Christian named Roya described the celebration as, “Dancing, dancing. I called to my friend. Called to my daughter and son in Iran. Oh, happy. So happy. Thanks God. Thank You Jesus.”
Iranians are allowed to travel to Armenia visa-free. Many of them come here to do all the things that they couldn’t do in their own country. Drink wine, listen to music, things like that. But many of the Iranians you find here in the streets of Yerevan are actually not here as tourists. They came fleeing the persecution in their own country.
Armenia is one of the few escape routes for Iranians. Most neighboring countries have closed their borders to refugees. Now, with war escalating, aid organizations are bracing for a new wave seeking safety here.
Operation Blessing’s Samson Mkrtchyan said, “After the first short war, we already understood the situation. We bought some tents. We will go to the border. We will have our tents, we will provide people a hot meal, and also some medicine. And then we’ll see how we can help them further.”
Operation Blessing has already been helping Iranian refugees in Yerevan with food, hygiene supplies, and even tools to start small businesses. Samson says the response has been eye-opening.
Mkrtchyan said, “They’re surprised by what is happening. We’re not Muslim — we’re Christians — and they’re surprised. They say, ‘Our Muslim brothers and sisters closed their doors, but Christians opened their doors for us. They help us.’ I think it’s a big shock for them.”
Working alongside Operation Blessing is the local international church in Yerevan. And they’ve been waiting for this moment.
Missionary Dr. Jacob Pursley said, “So Operation Announcing Freedom — we’ve been planning for six years to go into Iran and proclaim the Gospel in the cities and in the villages. We have now 147,000 Bibles ready from Armenia to go into Iran. And our plans are to set up missions bases in cities and then from there distribute the Gospels and declare who Jesus is to the Iranian people.”
As the future of Iran hangs in the balance, Christians here are preparing — not just to receive refugees, but to answer what they believe is a once-in-a-lifetime calling.
Roya said, “Thank God. Thank you, President Trump. I love you so much. I love you.”
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