Hundreds of thousands march in Iran, military hardware on display (REUTERS)
The rally was the largest such government-backed demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February, according to The Associated Press. Iran’s leadership used the event to project national unity while the country faces worsening economic conditions under a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and new sanctions. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied in Tehran on Friday in a government-organised show of defiance, with volunteers pledging to undergo military training and defend the country amid the ongoing war and mounting economic pressure.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard chief in Tehran, Gen Hassan Hassanzadeh, said more than 600,000 people had registered for the programme, with more than 1 million expected to undergo training. Iran’s state broadcaster estimated that more than 300,000 people were on the streets on Friday morning. In May, Iranian officials said more than 30 million people, in a country of about 90 million, had volunteered through online forms or public gatherings to sacrifice their lives for the country’s leadership.
Basij chief Hossein Taeb said at the rally that the volunteers would be prepared for “full-fledged defense” and that similar rallies would soon be held in other Iranian cities. Taeb also said the new trainees would become a “nightmare” for Iran’s enemies. “I am here to tell (US President Donald) Trump that we Iranians have no fear about his threats against our homeland,” said Marzieh Afaghi, 24, who attended the rally with her toddler and husband. The Associated Press said it could not independently verify that figure.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, military commanders and other senior officials attended the event. “No one in history could invade Iran and remain there.