Albert Mohler: Iranian tyranny removed

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NICK EICHER, HOST: Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: And I’m Lindsay Mast.

A door has opened in Iran. Whether it leads to freedom — or slams shut again — depends on what happens next.

Here is WORLD Opinions editor Albert Mohler.

R. ALBERT MOHLER JR.: The world order can change in a matter of hours.

We saw that this weekend.

As Iranians began their work week, Israeli and American forces struck with overwhelming force. By the end of the day, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei — supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran for more than three decades — was dead. Iranian authorities confirmed it.

Khamenei was not merely a head of state. He was the embodiment of a revolutionary regime born in 1979 — a regime built on clerical rule, sustained by repression, and animated by a militant, apocalyptic vision of Shi’a Islam.

For forty-five years, that regime has defined itself by hostility to the West, by sponsorship of terror, and by the relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons.

It appeared immovable.

Until it wasn’t.

History reminds us that regimes which seem permanent can fall with stunning speed. The Ottoman Empire once appeared eternal. So did the Soviet Union. So did the shah of Iran.

And now, the second supreme leader of the Islamic Republic is gone.

The military strikes continue. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards remain powerful. The future is uncertain. But this much is clear: the architecture of fear that held Iran in place has been shaken at its highest level.

That matters.

Moments like this are rare. They are dangerous. And they are decisive.

The Iranian people have endured decades of censorship, imprisonment, torture, and the violent suppression of protest. Many have longed for freedom. Many have paid dearly for even whispering it.

Now, history has handed them a narrow window.

Whether that window opens into liberty or slams shut into deeper repression will depend on what happens next — inside Iran.

President Trump has called on the Iranian people to seize political control. That is easier said than done. But the opportunity is real.

Let us be clear: opportunities like this do not linger. They are measured in days, perhaps hours.

Let us also be clear: the removal of a tyrant does not guarantee a free society. But it does remove an obstacle that once seemed immovable.

So pray.

Pray that courage rises. Pray that wise leadership emerges. Pray that the Iranian people recognize the gravity of this hour.

Because this is not merely a military development. It is a civilizational moment.

And as the president said: “This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.”

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