Watch: Hundreds of thousands rally in Iran as volunteers pledge to defend country, military hardware on display

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied in Tehran on Friday in a government-organised show of defiance, with volunteers pledging to undergo military training and defend the country amid the ongoing war and mounting economic pressure.The rally was the largest such government-backed demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February, according to The Associated Press. Iran's leadership used the event to project national unity while the country faces worsening economic conditions under a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and new sanctions.The demonstration also marked the public launch of a campaign called “Janfaday-e Iran”, or the “ones who sacrifice their lives for Iran”. Volunteers marched through central Tehran in combat uniforms carrying Iranian flags, while crowds cheered them.Iran's Revolutionary Guard chief in Tehran, Gen Hassan Hassanzadeh, said more than 600,000 people had registered for the programme, with more than 1 million expected to undergo training. Iran's state broadcaster estimated that more than 300,000 people were on the streets on Friday morning.The volunteers are expected to receive basic military training, including training with assault rifles. They would serve as an additional layer of security alongside Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard and its volunteer Basij force.Basij chief Hossein Taeb said at the rally that the volunteers would be prepared for “full-fledged defense” and that similar rallies would soon be held in other Iranian cities.Taeb also said the new trainees would become a “nightmare” for Iran's enemies. President Masoud Pezeshkian, military commanders and other senior officials attended the event.Some participants trampled on US and Israeli flags, while crowds chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”“I am here to tell (US President Donald) Trump that we Iranians have no fear about his threats against our homeland,” said Marzieh Afaghi, 24, who attended the rally with her toddler and husband. “No one in history could invade Iran and remain there.”Iran displays military hardwareThe rally also provided Iran an opportunity to display military equipment, including anti-aircraft systems and drones.Female Revolutionary Guard members wearing black headscarves were seen sitting alongside truck-mounted machine guns, while the Guard displayed drones that have been used extensively against ships in the Strait of Hormuz.Iran has asserted control over the strategic waterway since the war began, disrupting the movement of oil and natural gas shipments from the Gulf region.Volunteers could also strengthen internal securityBeyond the war effort, Friday's mobilisation could give Iran's hardline leadership another organised force to respond to future domestic unrest.Iran witnessed some of its largest nationwide protests in January, shortly before the war began. The demonstrations initially focused on economic difficulties before expanding into broader opposition to the country's theocratic system.Activists have claimed that a subsequent crackdown killed more than 7,000 people and resulted in tens of thousands of arrests. Those figures have not been independently verified by The Associated Press.In May, Iranian officials said more than 30 million people, in a country of about 90 million, had volunteered through online forms or public gatherings to sacrifice their lives for the country's leadership. The Associated Press said it could not independently verify that figure.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.