In Iran's capital, weapons are now regularly brandished in an increasing show of defiance as the threat of war looms. Iranian Revolutionary Guard members frequently demonstrate handling Kalashnikov-style assault rifles in public. Parades feature military vehicles mounted with belt-fed Soviet-era machine guns. At one mass wedding, a ballistic missile, similar to those that rained cluster munitions on Israel, adorned the stage.
These displays reflect the genuine threat Iran faces from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has suggested American forces could seize Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium by force and previously sent arms to Kurdish fighters to pass onto anti-government protesters. The weapons shows also offer reassurance and motivation to hard-liners and provide rare entertainment during a time of great uncertainty, with Iranians facing mass layoffs, business closures, and spiraling prices for food, medicine, and other goods. Arming more hard-liners could also help suppress any new demonstrations against Iran's theocracy, which violently put down nationwide protests in January, a crackdown that activists say killed over 7,000 people and saw tens of thousands detained.
Public Training and Mobilization Efforts
“This is necessary for all our people to get trained because we are in a war situation these days,” said Ali Mofidi, a 47-year-old Tehran resident at a weapons training session. “If necessary, everyone should be available and know how to use a gun.” For months, state television and government-sponsored text messages have bombarded the public with calls to join the “Janfada,” or the “ones who sacrifice their lives.” Hard-liners encouraged families with boys as young as 12 to send them to the Revolutionary Guard to work checkpoints, which Amnesty International denounced as a war crime.
Government officials claim more than 30 million people in Iran, out of a population of some 90 million, have volunteered via online forms or public gatherings to lay down their lives for Iran's theocracy. However, there is no way to confirm that figure, and there has been no sign of a mass mobilization like Ukraine's in 2022. Nevertheless, several public announcements and armed presenters on state TV have fed the fervor.
Criticism and Safety Concerns
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi criticized the public weapons demonstrations, particularly footage of young boys handling assault rifles, saying: “Scenes like these are reminiscent of child hostage-taking and arming by groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria, and militias in Sudan and Congo.” Weapons training, once unusual, has become a norm. A recent government-organized demonstration by nomads saw them carrying everything from bolt-action Lee–Enfield rifles to a blunderbuss. However, during weeks of an unsteady ceasefire, most weapon demonstrations appear focused on Tehran.
At a demonstration Tuesday night, male and female participants divided into separate classes. Hadi Khoosheh, a member of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force, demonstrated handling a folding-stock Kalashnikov-style assault rifle. “At the end of the training those who completed the course will receive a card titled 'Janfada,' proving they have received basic and preliminary training for this type of gun,” Khoosheh said. However, the training was rudimentary; one participant struggled to insert the rifle's magazine and inadvertently pointed the barrel at others, a major safety breach.
“Definitely we will stand against (the Americans) and won’t give up even an inch of our soil,” said Mofidi. “No matter if they come from the sea or land, we will stand by our flag.”
