Iran Is Not At War—They Are in a Hostage Negotiation

As the world prays for peace in Iran, most of the Iranian church is praying less for peace and more for the complete removal of the Islamic Regime. “We are worried this war will end with the current regime left in power,” Sister A from Iran reported during a BTJ meeting last month, “As bad as war is, life under the Islamic regime in Iran is much worse.”

The reason why the war in Iran can be confusing is because in reality, the world and the church are looking at the war in Iran from two completely different lenses. The west tends to view America, Israel and Iran at war, but Christians in Iran see the current conflict through the lens of a hostage negotiation. While America tries to force their will through power and strength, the Islamic regime in Iran is holding hostages and demanding a ransom.

Muslims are used to making negotiations with hostages. Iran did it in 1980 with their captives from the US Embassy. They have done it with prisoners in the notorious Evin Prison and they are doing it now with their own people and indeed, the entire world. The Islamic leaders of Iran cannot be intimidated by bombs and military victories because they do not value human life. This was made clear in January of this year when the Ayatollahs ordered the slaughter of tens of thousands of their own people.

This is why the peace process keeps collapsing, because even though their entire navy, air force, and air defense systems have been utterly destroyed, Iran still has hostages and they know hostage negotiations collapse power advantages every time. They are playing by the Islamic terrorist handbook. From ISIS, to Boku Haram, to Palestine, Islamic terrorists repeatedly use hostages as bargaining chips. Unlike the small number of Palestinian terrorists that took hostages during the Munich Olympic Games in 1972, Iran is an entire nation. They aim to hold the entire nation hostage.

They hold other civilians hostage by targeting tourist hotels, civilian hospitals, and commercial airports in Dubai, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia and demand ransom. With no navy, no air force, and no air defense systems they hold the entire world hostage by threatening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran does not have the military power to control the Strait of Hormuz, so they use fear by attacking unarmed civilian shipping companies, randomly dropping mines in the water, and then demanding ransom.

When Iran held Pastor Saeed Abidini in prison, America negotiated his release by paying billions of dollars in ransom. More recently, in September 2023, the US negotiated the release of five Americans wrongfully held in Evin Prison, by paying $6 billion. Today, Iran is wearing a suicide vest and negotiating with their hostages on a much larger scale. Its hostage is now the world’s most important economic arteries – the Straight of Hormuz.

The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly one-fifth of global petroleum trade. Iran is effectively holding it hostage by making demands and those demands are centered around money.

Iran wants $24 billion and ongoing payments for every ship that goes through the Straight. They are basically holding a gun to the world’s head and saying, “if you don’t pay me my money, I am going to kill my hostage.” The world is the hostage.

The church in Iran understands this is a hostage negotiation and they know that Islamic terrorists are only encouraged when they are rewarded for terrorist behavior, which is just one reason why they are not excited about seeing a peace deal that leaves the current terrorist regime in power.