Iran (MNN) — Iran’s growing footprint in the Middle East-North Africa region is a critical threat.
“They exploit instabilities, becoming more of a thorn in the side of the US, UK, the West in general,” Unknown Nations’ Greg Kelley says.
“Of course, Israel is ground zero for them; they want and believe in the annihilation of Israel.”
For example, Iran supports Hamas militants in Gaza, supplying them with a steady flow of funds, weapons, and training. Hezbollah enjoys similar benefits from Iran in Lebanon, where it threatens to begin war on Israel’s northern border.
Kelley says it’s all part of Iran’s regional strategy. “They’re looking for places that have already shown weaknesses so then they can come along and exploit that situation,” he explains.
Sudan is a newer front for the Islamic Republic and is in a key location on the Red Sea.
“Sudan definitely expands them into parts of Africa that they hadn’t been in prior,” Kelley says. “Sudan’s a super strategic area; it [has] access clearly to Yemen and Saudi Arabia, Israel.”
While the regime plots regional domination, Iran’s people have never been hungrier for meaning. Find your place in the story here.
“Over 95 percent of Iranians don’t have access to the Gospel, so we need to fix our eyes on means and avenues of getting the Gospel in there,” Kelley says.
“The people see no change, they see no hope, and ultimately, that creates opportunity for the Gospel.”
In the header image, a mural in the holy city of Qom depicts Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, on the left and Ali Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader of Iran, on the right. (Photo/caption courtesy of David Stanley via Flickr)
