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‘Sacrifice for Iran’
Tehranis come out to show readiness to defend nation in mass drill
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Tehran for a military exercise in a show of power to demonstrate public support for Iran and readiness to defend the country against foreign aggression.
The “Jan-Fadaye Iran” drill, meaning self-sacrificing for Iran, began at 8 a.m. and continued into the afternoon, with organisers estimating that 500,000 people in attendance.People from all walks life, dressed in military fatigues with some carrying weapons and some driving armored vehicles, marched from Imam Hossein Square towards the iconic Enghelab (revolution) Square in Tehran’s late-summer heat. Several Iranian drones were displayed during the event, showcasing part of the country’s unmanned aerial capabilities.
Organizers said the exercise was intended to help establish lasting security, demonstrate popular strength and shore up resistance to threats from Iran’s enemies. President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the rally and praised the participants’ solidarity, unity and national loyalty. “Iran belongs to all Iranians, and preserving its dignity and pride requires unity, empathy and collective participation,” Pezeshkian said. “Our lives are dedicated to the people, the country and Iran, and we are working for the country with all our might,” he added, stressing that unity on all issues “will disappoint the enemy”. Hossein Taeb, head of Iran’s Basij Organization, called Jan-Fadaye Iran participants a “nightmare for the enemies” and a symbol of national resistance.
Iran remains embroiled in a war that was launched by the United States and Israel on February 28. The fighting subsided after 40 days following a temporary peace deal but flared up again in mid-July with US airstrikes on Iran’s southern coast that continued for more than two weeks.
The United States imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman before the peace agreement was signed in mid-June. The blockade returned during the second round of fighting and remains in place. Iran regards the blockade and new US sanctions on 27 Iranian airlines imposed earlier this month as part of the war and an effort to create shortages and bring down the Islamic Republic. A war that the United States waged at Israel’s instigation to take out Iran’s peaceful nuclear program has now come back to bite US President Donald Trump where it hurts.
Trump’s major concern is now reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint for around 20% of global oil and LNG shipments which was open before the war but Iran closed it days after the conflict began, pushing oil prices from $70 to above $100 a barrel.