Iran · 18 September, 2026 · 2 min read
Iran Mobilises Hundreds Of Thousands In Tehran For Janfaday-E Iran Military Training
Hundreds of thousands rally in Tehran for Janfada-Iran, pledging to take up arms. Event described as the largest government-organized show of defiance since February attacks.
Whether the rally is framed as sacrifice or as threat and dissent-suppression.
7 of 8 outlets skipped it: rally venues are linked to Imam Hussein Square to Enghelab Square.
Al Jazeera was read line by line by the Watchdog: 2.4. See the score →
34outlets compared
Same story, two versions
tap a side to read it in full
Al Jazeera
“Economy and mobilisation Friday’s rally happened as the Iranian economy struggles under the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and new US sanctions.”Read the original ↗
Mehr News Agency
“The “Sacrifice for Iran” parade with the participation of 313,000 people, commenced early on Friday morning.”Read the original ↗
Al Jazeera emphasises mobilisation and economic pressure; Mehr and WANA emphasise sacrifice symbolism and national unity.
Tehran rallies for “Janfada”
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians marched through Tehran on Friday for a government-organised mobilisation campaign called “Janfaday-e Iran” (“those who sacrifice their lives for Iran”), with the regime urging citizens to join a military training programme and be ready to “sacrifice their lives.”
“Iranian state media reported that more than 300,000 people took part in Friday’s gathering.”
Al Jazeera reported that armed women, anti-aircraft guns and Shaheed drones were seen in Tehran as hundreds of thousands marched through the capital.A
ProtoThema English said Iranian state media reported more than 300,000 people took part in the gathering and that General Hassan Hassanzadeh claimed more than 600,000 had already registered, estimating the total could exceed one million.
The rally was framed as both a message of domestic unity and a display of military strength, with Iranian state media and officials presenting air defence systems and Revolutionary Guards members alongside vehicles equipped with machine guns.
Voices, slogans, and equipment
ProtoThema English said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and senior officials attended the gathering, where demonstrators stepped on American and Israeli flags and chants including “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” could be heard.
Marizeh Afaghi, who attended the rally, told the Associated Press, “I came here to tell Trump that we Iranians are not afraid of his threats against our homeland. No one in history has been able to invade Iran and remain there,” as the crowd projected defiance.
Diario de Yucatán reported that volunteers marched through Tehran under the slogan “Death to the United States” and “Khamenei, Khamenei,” with participants carrying AK-47 rifles or rocket launchers and riding in jeeps with anti-aircraft machine guns.
The same report said Persian drones took part in the parade, while Press TV said a group of Yemenis belonging to the Houthis also marched.
Training campaign and Hormuz strike
The mobilisation was presented as a step in a broader civilian recruitment and training effort, with volunteers expected to receive basic military training including training in the use of assault rifles and to operate alongside the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the paramilitary Basij.
“the head of the Basij, Hossein Taeb, said the new volunteers would be ready for “full defence””
ProtoThema English said the campaign was intended to create a new layer of security alongside the IRGC and Basij, and it quoted the head of the Basij, Hossein Taeb, saying the new volunteers would be ready for “full defence” and would become a “nightmare” for Iran’s enemies.
In parallel with the rally, Iran announced a new attack on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, saying its forces struck the oil tanker Trend, flying the Togo flag, and accusing it of attempting an unauthorised passage.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre separately reported that a tanker had been hit by an unidentified projectile, causing a fire that was extinguished shortly afterwards, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for the strike.