Hundreds of thousands of Iranians flooded the streets of Tehran on Friday for a government-organized rally calling on civilians to join the military and prepare to “sacrifice their lives.”
It was the largest demonstration in the country since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February.
Dubbed “Janfaday-e Iran,” or “ones who sacrifice their lives for Iran,” the rally was designed to project national unity as Tehran faces a worsening economy amid US sanctions and a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
But the spectacle was also a show of force for Iran.
Iranian state media said more than 300,000 people were on the streets Friday, and Gen. Hassan Hassanzadeh, Tehran’s guard chief, claimed over 600,000 people had already registered for the military-training campaign.
He said more than 1 million could ultimately participate.
The volunteers are expected to receive basic military training, including instruction with assault rifles, and would provide a new layer of security alongside Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij militia, which has played a key factor in removing anti-government protests.
The head of the Basij, Hossien Taeb, declared in a speech that the volunteers will be ready for “full-fledged defense” and that similar rallies will take place in other Iranian cities.
Taeb said the new trainees will create a “nightmare” for Iran’s enemies.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, military commanders and other senior officials were in attendance at the rally.
Some demonstrators stomped on American and Israeli flags, while crowds chanted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
“I am here to tell Trump that we Iranians have no fear about his threats against our homeland,” Marzieh Afaghi, a rally attendee, told The Associated Press. “No one in history could invade Iran and remain there.”
The event also gave Tehran a stage to show off its new weaponry.
Anti-aircraft batteries were shown, while female Revolutionary Guard members in black headscarves were present alongside truck-mounted machine guns. Iranian forces also displayed drones that have been used in attacks targeting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz — a vital factor in the war.
The military spectacle came as Iran claimed another strike on commercial shipping in the strait.
Iran said its forces hit a Togo-flagged oil tanker, the Trend, accusing it of attempting an unauthorized passage through the waterway. The UK Maritime Trade Operations center separately reported that a tanker had been struck by an unknown projectile, sparking a fire that was shortly extinguished. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for the strike.
The Strait of Hormuz has become a major player in the Middle Eastern conflict, with disruptions to shipping through it threatening one of the world’s most important routes for oil and natural gas — causing US gas prices to surge due to the war.
The latest mobilization of a civilian military comes after months of unrest inside Iran.
In January, nationwide protests erupted over economic hardship in Iran and expanded into a broader opposition to the country’s ruling theocracy. Human-rights activists have reported thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of arrests in ensuing crackdow, though figures vary by source.
Iranian officials have also claimed that more than 30 million people volunteered online or at public gatherings in May to defend the regime. AP noted that the figure could not be independently verified.
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