As the possibility of renewed fighting shifts and turns, the Iranian regime is stepping up its martial presence in the country's streets. Alongside "weapons classes" on state television as part of preparations for a US invasion, authorities on Monday held mass weddings in the streets of Tehran, with couples arriving at the ceremony on pink jeeps armed with machine guns.
At a large ceremony in Imam Hussein Square in the heart of Tehran, 110 couples were married in a mass wedding, according to Iran's Mehr news agency, on a balloon-decorated stage presided over by a cleric. Above them stood a huge portrait of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. A crowd of passersby, roses in hand, watched the ceremony, which was broadcast live on state television to boost morale on the home front.
The couples had registered for the "Janfada" program, literally "sacrifice of life," the mass enlistment campaign that authorities say millions of Iranians have joined, including parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and President Masoud Pezeshkian. Those joining the campaign pledged to fight against the US.
"The country may be at war," one bride, wearing a white dress, told AFP, "but young people have the right to marry." One groom said he was happy the ceremony fell on the wedding anniversary of Ali, the prophet revered by Shiites. "We received his blessing," he said. "We also came to share joy with the people in the street."
"Avenge the leader's blood"
At the same time, Iranian television continued broadcasting military "weapons classes" in news studios. In one segment, a presenter was seen shooting at pictures of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while expressing hope that such a thing would happen in reality, according to the Iranian opposition channel Iran International.
AFP also reported that military training booths had been set up across Tehran, where authorities are teaching the public the basics of using weapons. In the center of the capital, a soldier from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps demonstrated to a crowd of civilians how to dismantle and reassemble a Kalashnikov rifle, using instruction boards.
"The goal is to promote the culture of martyrdom and avenge the leader's blood," said Revolutionary Guard soldier Nasser Sadeghi. "The response from the people, women and men alike, is exceptional. It is entirely voluntary," he added.
Fatemeh Hossein-Kalantar, a 47-year-old homemaker wearing a black hijab, told AFP she had come to the training out of a desire to avenge Khamenei's death. "We are bringing our children and teenagers so they can see the military training, and when the leader gives the order, we will all go out to the battlefield," she said. The fighting must continue, she added, "until we exact our just revenge for the blood of our dear leader."
Mahnaz, a 39-year-old mother of three, told AFP that acquiring the ability to shoot had become necessary under the current circumstances. "In the circumstances the US has created for us, in which they do not spare women, children, young people or the elderly, it is our human duty to at least learn how to shoot and work with weapons, so that if necessary, we can use them," she said.
What was described as "psychological counseling and medical assistance" was set up near the training booths, alongside tea stations and loudspeakers broadcasting speeches, battle cries and eulogies for commanders who had been killed, while children and teenagers posed for photos next to dismantled rifles.
Since the outbreak of the war on February 28, the Iranian regime has held mass support rallies almost daily, seeking to project a broad front of popular mobilization alongside the military campaign.
