Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied Friday in a government-organized show of defiance after months of war, pledging their readiness to take up arms in the biggest such demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked in February. Iran's government has sought to rally the people and stress national unity, even as the economy worsens under a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and new US sanctions meant to increase Tehran's economic pain, per the AP. Estimates varied of the number of people volunteering to receive limited military training and defend the country in an effort described as "Janfaday-e Iran," or the "ones who sacrifice their lives for Iran." They marched through Tehran in combat uniform, carrying flags, as onlookers cheered.
For days, state media have encouraged Iranians to join the campaign, saying training with assault rifles would begin soon. The volunteers would be an additional layer of security to the powerful Revolutionary Guard paramilitary and its all-volunteer arm, the Basij. Tehran's Guard chief, Gen. Hassan Hassanzadeh, told the state broadcaster that upward of 600,000 people had registered to participate, with more than 1 million expected to take part in the training. On Friday morning, the broadcaster estimated more than 300,000 people were on the streets.
The new head of the Basij, Hossein Taeb, declared in a speech as the rally began that the volunteers will be ready for "full-fledged defense," and that similar rallies will take place in other cities soon. The new trainees will make a "nightmare" for Iran's enemies, Taeb added, as President Masoud Pezeshkian, military commanders, and other senior officials watched the march. Some participants trampled flags of the US and Israel. Others chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel." "I am here to tell [US President] Trump that we Iranians have no fear about his threats against our homeland," said one 24-year-old who attended the rally.
Friday's events also suggested that hard-liners like Taeb among Iran's leadership will be more prepared to suppress any future demonstration against the theocracy. In January, shortly before the war, Iran saw some of its largest nationwide protests in history, which began over the struggling economy and turned to wider grievances. Activists have said a crackdown killed more than 7,000 people and saw tens of thousands detained. In May, government officials said more than 30 million people in Iran—home to a population of some 90 million—had volunteered via an online form or at public gatherings to lay down their lives for the theocracy, which the AP couldn't independently confirm.
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