The Daily BS • Bo Snerdley Cuts Through It!
The Daily BS • Bo Snerdley Cuts Through It!

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Iran puts on massive show of force, rallies 300,000 in Tehran streets while sending chilling warnings

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BS BULLETIN:

  • Iran staged its largest government-organized rally since the war began, with state television estimating more than 300,000 people filled Tehran’s streets Friday.
  • Iranian officials say more than 600,000 people have registered for basic military training under the “Janfaday-e Iran” campaign, though those figures have not been independently verified.
  • Some marchers trampled American and Israeli flags and chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” as Iranian leaders promised a “full-fledged defense.”

Iran’s government flooded the streets of Tehran with hundreds of thousands of supporters Friday in its biggest organized display of military defiance since the war with the United States and Israel began.

Iranian state television estimated more than 300,000 people participated in the demonstration, which featured uniformed marchers, weapons and military equipment as the government sought to project national unity and readiness for a prolonged conflict.

The event centered on the government-backed “Janfaday-e Iran” campaign — roughly translated as those willing to sacrifice themselves for Iran.

For days, Iranian state media had urged citizens to register for the effort, which is expected to provide participants with basic military training, including training with assault rifles. Tehran Revolutionary Guard chief Gen. Hassan Hassanzadeh claimed more than 600,000 people have registered and predicted that more than 1 million will eventually participate. Those registration figures have not been independently verified.

The volunteers would provide another layer of manpower alongside Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij militia.

Hossein Taeb, the new head of the Basij, told the crowd that volunteers would be prepared for “full-fledged defense” and said similar demonstrations would soon be held in other Iranian cities. Taeb also warned that the newly trained volunteers would create a “nightmare” for Iran’s enemies.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian joined military commanders and other senior officials in watching the march. The demonstration included displays of anti-aircraft weapons and drones, while women affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard were photographed carrying rifles and manning truck-mounted weapons.

The message aimed at Washington and Israel was considerably less subtle.

Some participants stomped on American and Israeli flags while crowds chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” One 24-year-old participant who attended with her husband and toddler told the Associated Press she wanted President Donald Trump to know that Iranians were not afraid of threats against their country.

The rally comes as Iran faces severe economic pressure from U.S. sanctions and a naval blockade that has disrupted trade and energy shipments.

There is also a domestic dimension to the new volunteer force.

The Basij has historically been used to suppress anti-government unrest, and the AP noted that expanding its pool of trained supporters could give Tehran additional manpower in the event of renewed demonstrations against the government.

Iran experienced major nationwide protests earlier this year before the war began. For now, Tehran is presenting Friday’s enormous rally as evidence that months of conflict and economic pressure have not broken public support for the government.

The scale of that support outside a government-organized demonstration is harder to determine independently.

DBS WIRE SOURCES:

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