An Iranian refugee held at gunpoint at school before fleeing Iran during the 1979 revolution is calling for hope, democracy and prayers for his homeland as the U.S. joins Israel in targeting Iran’s ruling clerical regime.
David Nasser, now an American pastor, spoke to Fox News Digital six days after Operation Epic Fury was launched in Iran, which reignited haunting memories for him and of the time when he was 9 years old.
"As a child, my family and I were forced to escape Iran and run for our lives," Nasser, President and CEO of David Nasser Outreach recalled.
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"We found safe harbor as refugees granted political asylum here in the United States," Nasser said, describing how his father had been a high-ranking officer in Iran’s military, meaning "his family became targets as the government collapsed."
"One of my most vivid memories of realizing that nothing was ever going to be the same again was at a school assembly on a military base — a soldier called out three names and mine was called first," he said.
"When I got to the front, the soldier dropped a piece of paper, took a gun out of his holster and put it to my head and quoted the Quran. He told me that he was sent to make an example out of me," Nasser added.
The principal intervened, but the message he relayed was unmistakable. Nasser recalled.
"They’re killing everybody who’s anybody. They’re trying to make an example out of people like our family, and they’re using fear," he remembered hearing at the time.
"That’s one of my first memories of the revolution, but really just being completely scared for my life."
Soon after, Nasser's family devised an escape plan. They would pretend Nasser’s mother needed emergency heart surgery in Switzerland and buy round-trip tickets to avoid raising suspicion.
"We bought round-trip airline tickets like we were going and coming back, but we weren’t coming back. We were running for our lives," he said.
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At the airport, Nasser remembers gripping his father’s hand tightly and hearing words he will never forget.
"'If they find out we’re escaping, they’re going to kill us right here on the spot,' my father said as his hands shook, holding mine. The last time I was in Iran, I was a 9-year-old little boy running for my life," he said.
Now, watching events unfold in Iran from the safety of the U.S., Nasser said his heart remains with millions of desperate Iranians facing uncertainty.
"We see them — I see them, I hear them. My heart is beating really fast for them right now with hope and with prayers for their protection and their provision," Nasser said.
"Protection. I’m praying for protection for them. I want to be a part of the provision for them. If Iran transitions from a theocracy to a democracy, I want to help rebuild."
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"If this moment actually comes, and they go from a theocracy to a democracy, I want to be a part of the solution — for that 9-year-old little boy that I once was. I want to do this for him."
Beyond political change, Nasser, who is also teaching pastor at New Vision Baptist Church, said he takes solace in what he describes as spiritual transformation already underway, calling it "the fastest-growing church in the world right now or the underground church in Iran."
"We know there’s at minimum 4 million, at maximum 8 million Christians right now in Iran," he said.
"In Iran, if you convert from Islam to Christianity, that can be a death sentence. If they come into your home, and you’re gathering for Christian worship, they will take your home title, you will lose your home.
"They’re in prison. They’re being tortured. They’re being ridiculed. They’re being mocked.
"Above all, I came to America, and it was a land of opportunity. And I was given the gift of democracy. So, I would love to see democracy in Iran, where all the boys and girls are afforded what I was afforded when I managed to escape."
