Hundreds of thousands rally in Tehran in largest pro-government march since war began

Tehran has seen its largest pro-government demonstration since the war began, with Iranian state television reporting that more than 300,000 people took to the streets of the Iranian capital. The rally was welcomed by President Masoud Pezeshkian, along with representatives of the armed forces, intelligence services and Shia clergy.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard showcased drones used in attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as off-road vehicles equipped with heavy weaponry. In front of a podium overlooked by a giant portrait of the country's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in US-Israeli strikes, armed men in uniform, clergy members and women carrying rifles marched through the streets.

Footage from the march shows women carrying replica ballistic missiles on their shoulders and children holding weapons. The parade also featured symbolic coffins draped in US and Israeli flags, while onlookers in the crowd waved Iranian flags.

Hundreds of thousands of volunteers

The commander of the Revolutionary Guard in Tehran told state television that more than 600,000 people had signed up to take part in the demonstration, and that over a million Iranians in total would undergo paramilitary training. Hossein Taeb, the cleric heading the Basij militia under Revolutionary Guard command, said volunteers would be ready for "full-scale defence" and that similar rallies would be held in other Iranian cities.

"I'm here to tell (US President Donald) Trump that we Iranians are not afraid of his threats against our homeland," 24-year-old Marzieh Afaghi told the AP news agency. "No one in history has managed to invade Iran and stay here."

Trump weighing his decision

US President Donald Trump told Axios on Thursday that he faces a major decision — whether to strike the Iranian regime and take it down. He had earlier threatened Iran with the destruction of its entire civilisation, one that "will never come back."

According to AFP, the war launched by the US and Israel with the stated goal of halting Iran's nuclear programme has, paradoxically, allowed the Iranian regime to seize the initiative and present itself as the country's defender against both hostile states. This comes despite the fact that at the turn of the year, mass anti-government protests swept across Iran, initially triggered by a worsening economic situation. Security forces brutally crushed the unrest within a few weeks, and thousands were killed.

Source: novinky.cz