Iran · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Hundreds Of Thousands Rally In Tehran For Janfada-Ye-Iran, Iran Showcases Volunteer Force
Hundreds of thousands rallied in Tehran in a government-organized show of defiance amid war. A newly formed volunteer force was showcased, to receive training and bolster IRGC security.
Whether the rally’s main purpose is unity or sacrifice-for-Iran mobilisation.
7 of 8 outlets skipped it: rally marked Sacred Defense Week’s start.
Al Jazeera was read line by line by the Watchdog: 2.4. See the score →
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news.sbs.co.kr
“This is interpreted as a gesture to rally the public and emphasize national unity”Read the original ↗
Al-Manar TV Lebanon
“highlighting the broad public participation in the Janfada-ye Iran campaign.”Read the original ↗
SBS frames the rally primarily as unity amid economic hardship, while Al-Manar presents it mainly as faith-led mobilisation for Iran.
Tehran rallies for defense
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians marched in Tehran on Friday in a government-organised show of defiance, with the Iranian government showcasing a newly formed volunteer force as an additional layer of security for the IRGC and the Basij militia.
“over 600,000 people had registered to participate”
Al Jazeera reported that Tehran’s IRGC chief Hassan Hassanzadeh told IRIB that over 600,000 people had registered to participate in the voluntary Janfada-ye-Iran campaign, with over one million expected to take part in training.
The Al Jazeera report said the volunteers rallied through downtown Tehran in combat uniforms, while the government displayed drones, anti-aircraft batteries and other weaponry.
The Irish Examiner said the rally was the biggest such demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked in February, and described the volunteers marching through the centre of Tehran in combat uniform while onlookers cheered.
Leaders promise ‘full-fledged defence’
At the rally, Basij head Hossein Taeb told participants the volunteers would be ready for “full-fledged defence” and would be a “nightmare” for Iran’s enemies, as President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials watched.
The Irish Examiner quoted Taeb declaring that the volunteers will be ready for “full-fledged defence” and added that the new trainees will make a “nightmare” for Iran’s enemies.
Al Jazeera also reported that a volunteer named Bahera said, “I want to show the world that Iran is strong and united. We don’t want war, but we’re ready to defend our country to the very end,” while another volunteer said, “This is our homeland and we won’t let others decide its future”.
The Al Jazeera account said the government framed the mobilisation as part of a broader defence strategy, with Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu reporting from the rally that the Islamic Republic mobilised people “to show that they are united, that they have solidarity and that their people are ready to give anything for the country”.
Sanctions, blockade, and next steps
The rally unfolded as the Iranian economy struggles under a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and new US sanctions, and Al Jazeera said Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, condemned the “brutal economic war, deliberately designed to inflict maximum pain and suffering on every Iranian citizen”.
“the “brutal economic war, deliberately designed to inflict maximum pain and suffering on every Iranian citizen””
Al Jazeera reported that the volunteer mobilisation campaign started in early April, at the height of US-Israeli attacks, and said the authorities claimed more than 30 million people registered for a potential call-up, about a third of the population of 86 million.
The Caledonian Record, citing AP, said Iran’s government sought to rally the people and stress national unity even as the economy worsens under a US naval blockade and new US sanctions, and it said on Friday Iran claimed another attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
In the same AP account, the Caledonian Record said the demonstration was held after months of war, pledging readiness to take up arms in the biggest such demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked in February.