Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied Friday (September 18, 2026) in a government-organised show of defiance after months of war, pledging their readiness to take up arms in the biggest such demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked in February.
Iran’s government has sought to rally the people and stress national unity, even as the economy worsens under a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and new U.S. sanctions. For days, state media have encouraged Iranians to join the campaign, saying training with assault rifles would begin soon. The volunteers would be an additional layer of security for the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and the Basij militia, which has played a key role in quashing anti-government protests. “I am here to tell [U.S. “No one in history could invade Iran and remain there. The U.K. The Associated Press could not independently confirm that. Iran’s leadership used the event to project national unity while the country faces worsening economic conditions under a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and new sanctions.
On Friday (September 18, 2026), it claimed another attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway it has sought to control since the start of the war. President Donald] Trump that we Iranians have no fear of his threats against our homeland,” said Marzieh Afaghi, 24, who attended the rally with her toddler and husband. The UKMTO, in a separate update, said ship transits facilitated by the U.S. military off Oman have averaged 24 a day over the past week but overall traffic remains about 90% lower than before the war. In May, government officials said more than 30 million people in Iran — which has a total population of some 90 million — had volunteered via an online form or at public gatherings to lay down their lives for the theocracy. Earlier reporting noted: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard chief in Tehran, Gen Hassan Hassanzadeh, said more than 600,000 people had registered for the programme, with more than 1 million expected to undergo training. Iran’s state broadcaster estimated that more than 300,000 people were on the streets on Friday morning.
The new trainees will make a “nightmare” for Iran’s enemies, Taeb added, as President Masoud Pezeshkian, military commanders and other senior officials watched the march. Iran said it had attacked a Togo-flagged oil tanker, the Trend, for what it called an “illegal attempt” to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the state broadcaster reported. Maritime Trade Operations centre said a tanker was hit by a projectile, sparking a fire on board that was extinguished. Earlier reporting noted: The rally was the largest such government-backed demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February, according to The Associated Press.
Earlier reporting noted: Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied in Tehran on Friday in a government-organised show of defiance, with volunteers pledging to undergo military training and defend the country amid the ongoing war and mounting economic pressure.
