Tehran mobilises 313,000 volunteers in strategic display of defiance
Iran’s government has unveiled a new volunteer force in a bid to project national unity, as economic pressure from US sanctions and a naval blockade intensifies.
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians marched through downtown Tehran on Friday in a government-organised rally, pledging their readiness to take up arms. The event, described by authorities as the largest show of defiance against the United States since the war began, showcased a newly formed volunteer force. Participants, dressed in combat uniforms and some carrying weapons, joined a procession where the government displayed drones, anti-aircraft batteries, and other weaponry.
The newly formed force is part of the Janfada-ye-Iran campaign, a voluntary mobilisation effort that translates roughly to “Those who sacrifice their lives for Iran.” According to Iranian authorities, 313,000 people attended the rally in the capital, although these figures have not been independently verified. The volunteers are set to receive limited military and emergency response training to serve as an additional layer of security for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij militia.
Tehran’s IRGC chief, Hassan Hassanzadeh, told state broadcaster IRIB that over 600,000 people had registered for the campaign, with authorities expecting over one million to eventually take part in training. President Masoud Pezeshkian and Basij head Hossein Taeb attended the event. Taeb described the volunteers as a “nightmare” for Iran’s enemies, stating they would be ready for “full-fledged defence.”
The rally occurs against a backdrop of significant economic strain. Iran’s economy is currently struggling under a US naval blockade of its ports and new sanctions. Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, condemned what he termed a “brutal economic war, deliberately designed to inflict maximum pain and suffering on every Iranian citizen.” On Thursday, the US administration further tightened economic pressure by targeting digital currency networks, alleging they illegally provided sanctioned Iranian entities with access to the international financial system.
The mobilisation serves as a strategic counter-move by the Iranian government to project national unity. The war, launched in late February by US-Israeli strikes, has allowed Iranian authorities to regain political initiative by positioning themselves as a bulwark against foreign threats. This follows significant domestic unrest in December last year, where economic struggles briefly challenged the political system established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
According to authorities, more than 30 million people have registered for a potential call-up, representing about a third of Iran’s population of 86 million. The volunteer mobilisation campaign itself began in early April, at the height of US-Israeli attacks. President Pezeshkian stated that the rally was a message of solidarity to both the US and Israel, and to the Islamic Republic, that the people are ready for any crisis.
