Over 300,000 Iranians gathered in the streets of Tehran on Friday to announce their readiness to defend the country in the largest government display since the start of the war in February.
Economic and Military Background
The Tehran government is seeking to demonstrate national unity while the country's economy is under pressure from new sanctions and a U.S. naval blockade. At the same time, reports emerged about the beginning of a new attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime route that Iran has been trying to control since the war began.
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Rally and Officials' Speeches
Diverse reports have emerged regarding the number of volunteers who have registered for limited military training under a scheme called "Sacrifice for Iran." Participants marched through central Tehran wearing military uniforms and carrying flags, while onlookers cheered them on.
General Hassan Hassan-Zadeh, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran, announced on national television that over 600,000 people have registered and predicted that the final number of participants would exceed 1 million. State media estimated the crowd at the rally on Friday morning to be over 300,000.
Hosseini Taeb, the new commander of the Basij, announced at the beginning of the rally that volunteers would be fully prepared for defense and added that similar gatherings would soon be held in other cities. He also stated that these volunteers would become a nightmare for Iran's enemies.
Protesters trampled on American and Israeli flags and shouted slogans like "Death to America" and "Death to Israel." Maryam Afaghi, a 24-year-old woman, said at the rally: "I am here to tell Trump that we Iranians are not afraid of his threats against our homeland. No one can attack the history of Iran and remain unscathed."
This event also served as a display of Iran's military capabilities and included anti-aircraft equipment and female members of the Revolutionary Guards stationed alongside heavy machine guns.
Iran's state television announced that a tanker named Trend, flying the Togolese flag, had been attacked. This attack occurred due to an "illegal attempt" to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that a ship was struck by a projectile and a fire broke out on the vessel, which the crew managed to extinguish.
In a separate report, the UKMTO stated that the passage of U.S. military-supported ships near Oman averaged 24 incidents per day last week, although maritime traffic is generally about 90% lower than before the war.
This organization reflects the strengthening of the hardliners' capabilities in Iran to suppress potential domestic protests in the future. In January, before the war began, Iran witnessed one of the largest nationwide protests in its history, which started over economic issues and expanded to broader grievances. Activists reported that over 7,000 people were killed and tens of thousands were arrested during this crackdown.
As of May, official statistics show that over 30 million of Iran's nearly 90 million population have registered to sacrifice their lives for the regime, a claim that cannot be independently verified.
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Source: independent.co.uk
