Guns, ropes and zip lines: Iran trains women for ‘first line of defense’

As tensions between Iran and the United States remain high even amid negotiations, a new training camp has been established at Tehran’s Azadi Square for women intended to serve as a “first line of defense” in the event of a ground operation on Iranian soil. Iranian state-affiliated Press TV released footage over the past day showing women at the camp undergoing combat training, including firing different types of weapons, climbing ropes and using zip lines.

The women are said by Iranian authorities to have joined the “Life Sacrifice” campaign voluntarily, an initiative aimed at recruiting Iranians willing to “defend the regime against Israel and the United States.” The campaign was launched during Operation Roaring Lion in March, when Iranian officials claimed Israel and the United States were threatening the country’s borders and called on civilians to serve the state. Mass events have since been held across Iran to encourage people to enlist in the initiative.

On September 18, for example, the regime staged what it called a “popular exercise” involving volunteers. Iranian authorities claimed around 313,000 people had joined in Tehran alone and more than 30 million nationwide. Those figures cannot be independently verified. Images emerging from the training camp have also passed through Iran’s propaganda apparatus, and it remains unclear how many people have actually signed up or what role most of them would play beyond registering their names.

The campaign presents its volunteers as the country’s “first line of defense” in the event of an invasion. The prominent inclusion of women also serves the regime’s effort to project an image of equality and broaden public support for Iran’s security forces. The stated aim is to identify volunteers who demonstrate a genuine willingness to defend Iran and place them in training programs designed to prepare them for combat, although the extent and nature of that training remain unclear.

At the new women’s camp in Tehran, footage shows participants practicing with various firearms, climbing ropes, descending on zip lines and taking part in other physical drills. A Press TV reporter broadcasting from the site repeatedly stressed that the participants were volunteers undergoing organized training programs. “The concept of ‘self-sacrifice’ goes far beyond a slogan,” the reporter said. “It does not end with empty words, but is a serious movement initiated by the citizens of Iran.”

The campaign was launched during the latest confrontation between Israel and Iran, when Iranian media repeatedly raised the possibility of a ground invasion by Israeli or American forces. In response to the purported threat, civilians were urged to defend Iran’s borders and symbols of government. Recruitment advertisements included a phone number for prospective volunteers, and Iranian officials claimed within the first days that hundreds of thousands had already registered.

Iranian media also said several senior officials had joined the campaign, including parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, police commander Ahmad-Reza Radan and senior official Mohammad Mokhber. The regime has staged additional events across the country for volunteers. In the western city of Hamadan on October 8, a pro-government gathering featured participants holding weapons in the air alongside children dressed in uniforms.

Activists were also shown descending ropes bearing images of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. At another event on September 25, Iranian authorities claimed around 40,000 pro-regime motorcyclists had joined the campaign.