Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took part in a government organised rally in Tehran on Friday, in the biggest such demonstration since the war with the United States and Israel began in February, the Associated Press reported.
The rally was presented as a show of national unity and defiance after months of war, with participants pledging to defend Iran and take part in limited military training. Marchers moved through central Tehran wearing combat uniforms and carrying Iranian flags as crowds gathered along the streets.
Iranian authorities have been encouraging people to join the campaign, known as “Janfaday-e Iran”, or the “ones who sacrifice their lives for Iran”. State media said participants would soon begin training with assault rifles and would serve as an additional layer of security alongside the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij militia.
Tehran’s Guard chief, Gen. Hassan Hassanzadeh, said more than 600,000 people had registered to participate, with more than 1 million expected to take part in the training. State television estimated that more than 300,000 people were on the streets on Friday morning.
Hossein Taeb, the new head of the Basij, said the volunteers would be prepared for “full-fledged defense” and described the new trainees as a “nightmare” for Iran’s enemies. President Masoud Pezeshkian, military commanders and other senior officials watched the march.
Iran Displays Military Hardware
The rally also featured Iranian military equipment, including anti-aircraft batteries, truck mounted machine guns and drones. Some participants trampled US and Israeli flags and chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”.
The demonstration came as Iran faces worsening economic pressure from a US naval blockade of its ports and new American sanctions.
Iran also reported another attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important waterway through which major volumes of global oil and gas shipments pass.
Iranian state media said its forces had attacked the Togo flagged oil tanker Trend over what it described as an “illegal attempt” to pass through the strait. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre separately reported that a tanker had been hit by a projectile, causing a fire that was later extinguished.
UKMTO said US military facilitated ship transits off Oman had averaged 24 per day over the previous week, while overall traffic remained around 90 per cent below pre war levels.
Rally Comes After Earlier Protests
The government organised rally also comes months after major protests in Iran. Nationwide demonstrations in January initially focused on economic difficulties before expanding into broader opposition to the government.
Activists have claimed that more than 7,000 people were killed and tens of thousands detained during the subsequent crackdown, figures that have not been independently verified by the Associated Press.
Iranian officials said in May that more than 30 million people had volunteered through online forms or public gatherings to defend the country. The Associated Press said it could not independently confirm that figure.