{"id":31015,"date":"2026-03-02T11:23:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T16:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=31015"},"modified":"2026-03-02T11:23:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T16:23:08","slug":"christian-leaders-react-to-the-us-israeli-strikes-in-iran-death-of-supreme-leader-ali-khamenei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/03\/christian-leaders-react-to-the-us-israeli-strikes-in-iran-death-of-supreme-leader-ali-khamenei","title":{"rendered":"Christian Leaders React to the US-Israeli Strikes in Iran, Death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: Adobe Stock | Right: pcruciatti \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Christian leaders have issued various reactions after the United States and Israeli strikes in Iran killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and military leaders on Saturday, spurring Iran to launch missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military bases across the Middle East in response.<\/p>\n

In a\u00a0video<\/a>\u00a0on his Truth Social platform Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that hundreds of targets in Iran were hit, including Revolutionary Guard facilities, Iranian air defense systems, nine ships and naval buildings \u201cin a matter of minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump claimed that Khamenei had the \u201cblood of hundreds and even thousands of Americans on his hands and was responsible for the slaughter of countless thousands of innocent people all across many countries.\u201d He stated that the attacks took out Iran\u2019s \u201centire military command\u201d and vowed that combat operations will continue at \u201cfull force\u201d until \u201call of our objectives are achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night, all over Iran, the voices of the Iranian people could be heard cheering and celebrating in the streets,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

At least three U.S. service members have been killed in action, and five others were seriously wounded, the U.S. Central Command\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0on Sunday. Several other troops suffered shrapnel injuries and concussions and will return to duty. U.S. government sources told\u00a0Reuters<\/a>\u00a0that the U.S. troops were killed on a military base in Kuwait.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe pray for the full recovery of the wounded and send our immense love and eternal gratitude to the families of the fallen,\u201d Trump said. \u201cAnd sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That\u2019s the way it is. Likely be more, but we\u2019ll do everything possible where that won\u2019t be the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

The following pages highlight the reactions of conservative and progressive Christian leaders to the attacks on Iran.<\/p>\n

1. Lana Silk of Transform Iran<\/h2>\n

Lana Silk, the president and CEO of\u00a0Transform Iran<\/a>, an Iranian-led Christian ministry and humanitarian organization actively serving people in Iran, called the events of the past few days \u201cinevitable and sadly necessary.\u201d She stated that tens of thousands of people have been killed and tens of thousands of others arrested since\u00a0anti-regime protests<\/a>\u00a0began in December.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one wants the loss of life, but the loss of life was continuing \u2014 and likely at much higher numbers than a targeted, decisive war will deliver,\u201d Silk said in a statement shared with The Christian Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile every innocent life lost is a tragedy, we must recognize that the Iranian people have endured 47 years of systemic brutality under this regime, particularly worsened in recent weeks. Tens of thousands have died, and many more have been traumatized. There is no \u2018normal\u2019 in the way this government deals with its own people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a situation that was impossible for Iranians to take any further without outside help,\u201d she added. \u201cThey welcome intervention by the West and have pleaded for it for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Franklin Graham of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association<\/h2>\n

Evangelist Franklin Graham, the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham and president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, thanked Trump in a\u00a0post on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0for \u201cgiving the Iranian people a chance to be free.\u201d<\/p>\n

Graham, who also heads the North Carolina-based international Evangelical humanitarian aid organization Samaritan\u2019s Purse, urged his followers to pray for Trump and \u201cthose in our military who are risking their lives to protect America and bring freedom to the Iranian people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis regime has been killing Americans for years, and we haven\u2019t had a president who had the guts to take them on,\u201d Graham wrote. \u201cThank you Mr. President for standing up to bring this evil empire to an end.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Shaine Claiborne of Red-Letter Christians<\/h2>\n

Progressive Christian thinker and activist Shaine Claiborne, a pacifist, was among those critical of the attacks on Iran, saying in a\u00a0social media post<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cattacking Iran is terribly wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be very clear.\u00a0 Killing people is wrong. Attacking Iran is terribly wrong. We will never build a better world by killing other people\u2019s children,\u201d Claiborne wrote, apparently referencing allegations from Iranian health officials and state media that dozens of people, likely mostly children, have been killed in strikes that hit at least two schools.<\/p>\n

U.S. Central Command told\u00a0The New York Times<\/a>\u00a0that it is \u201caware of reports concerning civilian harm resulting from ongoing military operations\u201d and that it takes those reports \u201cseriously\u201d and will investigate, stressing that the \u201cprotection of civilians is of utmost importance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cViolence only begets more violence,\u201d Claiborne wrote. \u201cWhen we live by the sword, we die by the sword. Two wrongs never make a right. It is impossible to love our enemies as Christ commands and simultaneously prepare to kill them.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Susan Michael of International Christian Embassy Jerusalem<\/h2>\n

Susan Michael, USA president of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, condemned Iran for firing ballistic missiles and waves of armed drones toward Israeli population centers, saying they sent \u201cfamilies into bomb shelters and [placed] the region on high alert.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this sobering moment, we are calling the church to prayer,\u201d she said in a statement shared with The Christian Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe stand in firm support of the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces and the Israel Defense Forces who are risking their lives to confront what many security experts have long described as the world\u2019s leading state sponsor of terror. Iran\u2019s regime has armed and financed proxy militias such as Hamas and Hezbollah, destabilized neighboring nations, and relentlessly pursued nuclear and ballistic missile programs while brutally suppressing its own people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael asserted that \u201cScripture teaches that governing authorities bear the responsibility of restraining evil,\u201d citing\u00a0Romans 13:4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile war is always tragic and never to be celebrated, there are times in history when force becomes necessary to prevent greater destruction and to remove regimes that pose an existential threat,\u201d Michael stated. \u201cWe regret that this moment has come, but we recognize the grave stakes involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Rev. Raphael Warnock<\/h2>\n

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who pastors at the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, spiritual home of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Atlanta, condemned the attacks, saying in a statement that \u201cAmericans have long been weary of forever wars in the Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Trump administration\u2019s dramatic and deadly escalation in Iran risks yet another sad chapter of decades-long entanglements,\u201d Warnock said. \u201cGiven the lack of a clear plan, it risks increased instability in the region while endangering American troops and harming America\u2019s national security.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Democrat senator insists that a \u201cwider regional conflict\u201d will not make the world safer and \u201cwould increase instability and uncertainty at a moment when our focus should be on the pressing problems we face at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be clear: the Iranian regime is brutal and destabilizing,\u201d Warnock said. \u201cIt cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. But the President has not explained why diplomatic talks that were underway this week are no longer viable and diplomacy no longer available. Instead, he has said in word and deed that this is war, a power that the Constitution reserves for Congress alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. Tony Perkins of Family Research Council<\/h2>\n

Tony Perkins, a leading Christian conservative political activist in Washington and a Baptist minister who heads the Washington-based Family Research Council, praised Trump for what he called \u201cbold and decisive action\u201d at a time \u201cwhen it is necessary and justified.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Iranian Islamic regime posed a serious threat to Israel and other peace-seeking nations,\u201d Perkins wrote in a\u00a0Facebook post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For Christians, he stressed that attacks don\u2019t mark a \u201cmoment for celebration\u201d but rather a time \u201cfor intercession.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a time to bend the knee, not pump the fist,\u201d Perkins wrote. \u201cWe must pray for our leaders and for the people of Iran. Our leaders are well aware of the geopolitical and military realities. Yet Scripture reminds us there are deeper forces at work (Daniel 10<\/a>). Behind visible conflicts often lie spiritual strongholds that shape events in ways not immediately seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although he believes Trump made the \u201cright decision,\u201d Perkins warned that there is \u201cmore unfolding than what appears on the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe days ahead may be complex and demanding,\u201d Perkins said.<\/p>\n

This is where the Church has a distinct and indispensable role \u2014 to stand in prayer, to seek God\u2019s wisdom and protection, and to engage the battle in the heavenlies with spiritual discernment and steadfast faith.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on The Christian Post<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christian leaders have issued various reactions after the United States and Israeli strikes in Iran killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and military leaders on Saturday, spurring Iran to launch missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military bases across the Middle East in response. In a\u00a0video\u00a0on his Truth Social platform Sunday, U.S. President Donald…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":630,"featured_media":31024,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nChristian Leaders React to the US-Israeli Strikes in Iran, Death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Christian leaders respond after U.S. and Israeli strikes in Iran kill Ayatollah Khamenei, sparking missile attacks across the Middle East.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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