Displaying items by tag: Asia

U.S. President Donald Trump says he is prepared to talk to Iran but that there was always a chance of U.S. military action against Tehran.

"So Iran is a place that was extremely hostile when I first came into office," Trump who is on a state visit to Britain, told ITV television on June 5. "They were a terrorist nation number one in the world at that time and probably maybe are today."

Asked if he thought military action might be needed, he said: "There's always a chance. Do I want to? No. I'd rather not. But there's always a chance."

He said, when asked, that he was prepared to talk to Iranian President Rohani: "Yeah of course. I would much rather talk."

Trump's comments come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States and its allies in the Persian Gulf.

Washington a year ago withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran that curbed the country's nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

Trump argued that the terms on the accord were not tough enough to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and did not address the country's missile program or its support for militants in the region.

Since then, Washington has re-imposed sanctions, stepped up its rhetoric, and beefed up its military presence in the Middle East, citing " imminent threats" from Iran.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on June 5 that Tehran would not be "deceived" by Trump’s offer of negotiations and would not give up its missile program.

"This political trick will not deceive Iranian officials and the Iranian nation," Khamenei said in a speech broadcast on Iranian television.

Pray: for an end to the escalating tensions.

Pray: that Iran does not develop nuclear capability and adheres to its previous agreement.
Pray: that peace prevails and for a negotiated resolution to the crisis to be achieved.

More at: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-says-prepared-to-talk-to-iran-but-there-s-always-a-chance-of-military-action/29982687.htm

An estimated two million people filled Hong Kong streets in protests against the government, which had been pursuing an extradition agreement that could have sent activists, advocates and even foreign nationals to mainland China for legal proceedings. But even after the bill was pulled, the protests not only continued: they have grown, and through the ongoing protest, an unlikely song has rapidly become the unofficial anthem by tens and hundreds of thousands. The uniting song is ‘Sing Hallelujah to the Lord’. A quarter of the entire population sang the anthem. Praise the Lord, Hong Kong! Praise the Lord, indeed!

Four brothers and their families in a wealthy Syrian suburb lost homes, cars, and belongings through shelling. They moved to the relative safety of a new city, sharing just one apartment (16 children, parents, and grandparents). The inflated rent has to be paid on a daily basis. Their vulnerability and poverty were difficult to adjust to. Family members suffered stress-related ailments, including ulcers. A pastor coordinating a Lebanese relief project visited them and asked what they needed. They said they wanted to be treated like humans not animals. One said his brain had stopped and he couldn’t think ahead: ‘How can I rebuild my life, when I now have no home and no money?' The pastor said there is hope, because Jesus gives us hope. He prayed with the sick family members. Since that visit, the family has received some food assistance through the church, and a few of them are attending Bible study sessions.

The idea of Buddhism (and Hinduism) as a ‘religion’ is partly an invention of early Western missionaries. Later the concept was taken up by Buddhists themselves. Buddhist ideas are woven into a wide tapestry of belief, ritual, filial piety and morality that often involve the occult, other gods, and ancestors. Few practising Buddhists have turned to Christ, except in Cambodia, China, Laos, Mongolia, South Korea, and Vietnam, which have growing churches or substantial Christian populations. Yet churches are being planted among Buddhists, and there are recurring reports of monks studying the New Testament and meeting Christ. Pray for the remaining Buddhist peoples of the world to encounter Christ, who is ‘desired by all nations’ (Haggai 2:7). Buddhist mindfulness, types of meditation, and statues are being adopted around the world. Pray for fresh Christian approaches to reach those seeking the peace that only Christ can give. See

A seminar held in Hebi, Henan for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) discussed the ‘enormous harm’ officials believe Christianity poses to national security. All CCP members were urged to maintain ‘correct views’ with regard to religion, and to avoid being persuaded by any ‘ideology’. The government openly forbids CCP members from practising a religion, saying Christianity is attempting to undermine its rule. There is no evidence for this, but the CCP exhibits extensive social management, with different departments managing religion ‘through non-religious ways’, in an effort to claim religion is a threat. Unfortunately, only a few countries are willing to stand up to China on human rights violations and religious persecution.

Five underwater pipelines off Syria’s coast were sabotaged on 22-23 June. No group claimed responsibility for this ‘terrorist attack’. Syria has been beset by fuel shortages since the EU, UN and US imposed sanctions and asset freezes on certain individuals in response to atrocities carried out by the regime. Since April, private car owners have had to queue at petrol stations after being restricted to twenty litres of fuel every five days. Iran was supplying 1 to 3 million barrels a month, but after Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal the US has tightened energy sanctions to push Iran’s crude exports to zero. However, tanker-tracking firms believe Iran delivered a million barrels of crude oil recently.

‘It was as if God had prepared us for this,’ said Pastor Hikmat Kashouh of his congregation. He is recalling the time when over a million Syrian refugees started pouring into Lebanon, fleeing civil war. Resurrection Church, Beirut had already built strong connections with local Syrian workers. But what the church was less prepared for was the radical transformation it would take to welcome former enemies as equal members of their church family. From an unremarkable congregation of ninety people to one that welcomes 1,300 people and broadcasts to thousands across the Arab world via SAT-7, Resurrection Church has experienced a great transformation in the last ten years among Arabs, Kurds, and Muslim converts. To read the inspiring story of conversions, click the ‘More’ button.

17 June 2019 marks five years since IS told Christians living in Mosul to ‘convert, pay or die’. Three thousand Christian families were among the half million citizens who left Mosul. Most of them fled to the city of Erbil or to the Kurdish region in the north of Iraq. Only 25 Christian families stayed in the city after the ultimatum - those who were too old, ill, or disabled to flee. Open Doors started working through local churches and partners to support internally displaced people, giving humanitarian aid and providing monthly food packages. By 2015 they were employing 86 local people, distributing food to 75,000 people, and handing out Bibles, Christian materials, hygiene baskets, clothing vouchers and support for medical expenses. Next they gave churches training on trauma care, and provided three trauma centres.

On 16 June the Saudi crown prince said he would ‘deal with’ threats to his people and vital interests following attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman. America blamed Iran for the attack. The UK promised to deploy 100 Royal Marines ‘within weeks’ to ships operating from Bahrain. On 17 June Iran said its stockpile of uranium would soon exceed the agreed 2015 levels, and EU ministers said they were unconvinced that Iran was behind the attack and wanted more evidence and UN investigations. On 18 June the US supplied further images to back up their accusations, and promised 1,000 troops to the region in response to ‘hostile Iranian behaviour.’ On 19 June, forty workers were evacuated from an oil-drilling site in southern Iraq after it came under rocket fire. On 20 June Iran said it was ready for war after US confirmed that an American drone had been shot down in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz. See

Amnesty International reported that the Saudi public prosecutor has sought the death penalty for Murtaja Qureiris for offences and participating in protests when he was ten years old. This prompted a global outcry in support of the teenager. Riyadh has come under mounting international scrutiny over its human rights record since a journalist’s murder and the detention of women's rights activists who are still on trial. In April, 37 men were beheaded for ‘terrorism’ crimes. The UN said most of them may not have had fair trials, and at least three were minors when sentenced. We can give thanks for the increasing pressure that is being put on the Saudi government by Amnesty, the UN, and the wider international community to release imprisoned human rights activists. Ask God to use this pressure also to bring freedom to Christians who are in prison for their faith.