Iran Opens Women's Commando Training Center in Tehran

Unusual images are emerging from Tehran: Iranian women holding assault rifles, practicing live fire, rappelling down steel cables and participating in military drills at a new training center opened specifically for women in Iran's capital.

The Basij militia, subordinate to the Revolutionary Guards stand behind this initiative, and the message is clear: Iran is preparing its civilian population for the possibility of renewed military confrontation, including an American ground invasion.

The new training facility was inaugurated Tuesday, November 10, at Azadi Square in western Tehran. During the opening ceremony, participants demonstrated their capabilities in military exercises, with some seen carrying assault rifles, practicing weapons handling and descending from high walls using ropes. Others participated in drills using steel cables, simulating operations in complex terrain.

According to reports, this is the first center in the capital established specifically for women, part of a broader program called "Jan Fada," roughly meaning "ready to sacrifice their lives for the homeland." The program aims to recruit volunteers from the civilian population and train them for emergency and war scenarios.

Women's commando training center opens in central Tehran (Photo: Social media)

The training goes beyond fitness drills and basic weapons familiarization. The program includes instruction in rifles, pistols, heavy weapons, drones and air defense systems, alongside training in first aid, rescue operations and firefighting. Some volunteers arrive at the facility with their children.

A senior Revolutionary Guards official in Tehran, Brigadier General Alireza Salarkia, claimed that approximately 33 million people have registered for the nationwide volunteer initiative, with nearly half of them women. This figure was provided by Iranian authorities and has not been independently verified.

The new center joins additional training facilities opened in Tehran in recent weeks as part of Iran's preparation for the possibility of renewed confrontation with the United States and Israel. According to reports, the goal is to prepare civilians for scenarios in which they would be required to assist in defending cities, supporting security forces and even confronting enemy forces in urban terrain.