Hundreds of Thousands Rally in Iran in Biggest Show of Defiance Since War B

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied on Friday in a government-organized show of defiance, pledging their readiness to take up arms in the largest such demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked the country in February, The Associated Press reported.

The event, called "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," was staged as a military-style parade in Tehran. Photographs from the parade showed armed personnel affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps taking part, a Guard member saluting from a float displaying drones, and women affiliated with the IRGC marching with rifles beneath a banner depicting U.S. President Donald Trump in crosshairs and the words "We will kill."

The drones on display are of the type widely used against ships in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has asserted control since the war began.

According to AP, Iran's government has sought to rally the public and stress national unity even as the economy deteriorates under a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and new American sanctions intended to increase the pressure on Tehran.

The parade is the public face of a wider mobilization campaign. Hassan Hassanzadeh, commander of the IRGC in greater Tehran, said registration for the exercise opened last week at mosques, Basij bases and evening gatherings in city squares, and claimed that half a million people had signed up. He said participants would include athletes, teachers, university and high school students, artists, merchants and seminary students. IranWire reported that it could not independently verify the figure.

Alongside the announcement of what the IRGC called the Janfada National Resistance Battalions, promotional material urging citizens to enroll in military courses has circulated widely. One graphic displayed Kalashnikov and sniper rifles, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, drones, navigation instruments and diving gear, asking viewers whether they knew how to operate such equipment.

Friday's parade follows months of nightly pro-government demonstrations across Iran since the war began.