Erdan, who has served in Israel’s Knessett, has also served as ambassador to the U.S. and later his country’s representative to the United Nations. He was the keynote speaker at a breakfast honoring Israel at the annual meeting of the National Religious Broadcasters.
Thousands in Iran, fueled by the Islamist regime’s repression and more recently faced with harsh economic conditions, rose in protest in streets around the country.
Trump has warned the ruling ayatollahs and promised help to the protesters. U.S. military build-up in the region has been ongoing for weeks.
Protesters demanded political reform and expressed opposition to the Islamic Republic government.
Security forces used lethal force and crackdowns to suppress demonstrations. Thousands were killed or arrested in repression efforts, according to rights monitors.
“Internal sources suggest 30,000 to 36,000 protesters have been killed by the regime,” Dr. Glen Duerr, an international studies professor at Cedarville University, told AFN Thursday.
Talks between the U.S. and Iran continue but within a fragile state. No deal was reached as the two sides met last weekend in Geneva.
Trump has been briefed on best U.S. strike options against Iran as more forces move into the region, AllIsraelNews.com reports.
Erdan, with great clarity, issued a call to prayer for those in attendance early Thursday.
“Let's pray that President Trump is guided by wisdom from above, that he sees clearly the difference between illusion, danger, and evil and that he acts to protect freedom and secure a safer future for our children,” he told the NRB audience.
Erdan reiterated the threat posed not only by Iran’s nuclear program – which was weakened but not put out of commission by U.S. strikes against three facilities last summer – but by its ballistic missiles.
They threaten not only Israel, he said.
“We are on the same continent for them, but they are meant for London, Paris, New York, and Washington. The Ayatollah regime is not just Israel's problem. It's the free world's problem,” Erdan said.
If the decision to strike is made, the primary targets are likely to include Iranian air defense systems and its retaliatory strike capabilities, such as its ballistic missile launchers, AllIsraelNews.com reports.
What will Russia do?
The targets chosen by the U.S. could determine whether China and Russia get involved or sit this out like they did last summer. China, Russia, Iran and North Korea tend to band together but are reluctant to get involved against the United States or Israel, he said.
“But the question is, to what degree do the strikes go after the military or the nuclear program? If it's the nuclear program they do nothing,” Duerr said.
But striking the military could trigger Russian involvement.
“If it's the military facilities, especially ammunition manufacturing plants, for example, Iran has provided a lot of Shaheed rockets for Russian use against Ukraine. And I think that's where Russia would get angrier in this case,” Duerr said.
A Russian response remains anybody’s guess.
“I don’t know that it would escalate,” he said.
Regardless of Russia’s position, China appears content to provide administrative and economic support to Iran in an attempt to weaken the U.S., he said.
As talks between the U.S. and Iran continue, mining, energy, and aircraft deals are explicitly on the table as part of broader economic incentives aimed at securing a durable agreement.
“They have massive amounts of natural resources. That's why an energy and or mining deal is possible. And once you get that energy sector going, there's the potential for real change, but right now the economy is decimated,” Duerr said.
A diplomatic resolution, if possible, would revive one of the great ancient civilizations.
Iran’s population of just more than 93 million is comprised mostly of young people who want to engage with the world, Duerr said.
Ancient Iran was known for its arts and literature, architecture and philosophy.
“Now it’s one of the worst places to be a Christian, or any other minority, in terms of the death toll that's created. And so that's really the difficulty in the decision, trying to come up with something to stop the nuclear weapons, stop the deaths of the protesters, but also end the regime,” Duerr said.
The great unknown with the end of the regime is the beginning of a new one.
“Sometimes it gets worse. There's a sentiment that it could get better. There's an estimation that 2 million people in Iran have come to Christ in recent years, which is remarkable. So how God is moving in all of it is a key to keep us praying,” Duerr said.
Growing Christian population
The Christian population in Iran is estimated at 750,000-800,000 as of 2025, International Christian Concern reported in 2025. That number was up from around 370,000 in 2014.
This growth is primarily due to conversions from Islam, especially among disillusioned youth. A 2020 survey by Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran -- an independent, non-profit research foundation based in the Netherlands -- found 1.5% of Iranians identify as Christian then.
Revival in Iran is not part of Erdan’s prayer if it means the revival of the regime. He wants to see action from Trump.
“Because when leaders act with moral clarity, evil retreats. Through the power of prayer and the decisive action of leaders, the Ayatollah regime, friends, will finally be eradicated. Brothers and sisters, while the Ayatollah regime threatens the free world, we must not ignore another danger growing in our midst,” Erdan said.
