In Iran’s capital, weapons demonstrations send a signal at home and abroad as threat of war remains
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard now regularly show people in Tehran how to use Kalashnikov-style assault rifles. Parades in the capital include military vehicles fitted with Soviet-era belt-fed machine guns. And at a mass wedding, a missile similar to the ballistic missile that dropped cluster bombs on Israel, graced the stage.
Guns are now regularly brandished in Tehran; It is a growing show of defiance that US President Donald Trump has threatened to do so. Restarting the war with Iran If negotiations break down and the Islamic Republic refuses to relinquish its control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Weapons shows reflect real threat facing Iran: Trump It was suggested that American forces could capture He had stated that Iran had forcibly stockpiled highly enriched uranium and previously sent weapons to Kurdish fighters to be forwarded to anti-government protesters.
But they also offer reassurance and motivation to conservatives, offering rare entertainment at a time of great uncertainty as Iranians face mass layoffs, business closures and business closures. Prices of food, medicine and other goods are increasing. Proposing arming more hardliners could also help quell new demonstrations against Iran’s theocracy, which violently suppressed nationwide protests in January. under pressure Activists say more than 7,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands detained.
“This is necessary for all our people to be trained because we are in a state of war these days,” said Ali Mofidi, a 47-year-old Tehran resident, at weapons training Tuesday night. “Everyone must be available and know how to use a weapon if necessary.”
Iran has repeatedly tried to increase its power during the war
For months, state television and government-sponsored text messages have bombarded the public with calls to join “Janfada,” or “those who sacrifice their lives.” At one point, conservatives encouraged families with boys as young as 12 to send them to the Revolutionary Guard to work at checkpoints; Amnesty International condemned this as a war crime.
More than 30 million people in Iran, home to a population of about 90 million, have volunteered to sacrifice their lives for Iran’s theocracy through an online form or at public meetings, government officials say. There is no way to verify that figure, and there is no sign yet of mass mobilization like the one seen in Ukraine in the days before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, where authorities handed out rifles and people gathered to make tear gas bombs.
But as part of efforts to stoke enthusiasm, numerous public announcements were made during live programs on state television and presenters appeared armed with guns.
“Looking back at the moment when I registered my name, I realized that I had not really thought about the dangers of fighting on the front lines. At that moment, like everyone else, my thoughts were only on Iran,” journalist Soheila Zarfam wrote in a column in the state-run Tehran Times newspaper. “My life may be over, but Iran will continue to exist, and that’s what really matters.”
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi criticized public weapons displays, particularly images of young boys carrying assault rifles, saying: “Such scenes are reminiscent of the hostage and arming of children by groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and militias in Sudan and Congo.”
Once unusual, weapons training is now the norm
A recent government-organized demonstration by nomads in Iran showed them carrying everything from the bolt-action Lee-Enfield rifles of the British Empire to the blindside shotgun, a predecessor to the pump-action shotgun more familiar to the age of pirates on the high seas.
But during weeks of an unstable ceasefire, most weapons demonstrations appear to be focused on Tehran, not rural areas where there is a tradition of keeping rifles and shotguns at home.
At a demonstration in Tehran on Tuesday night, male and female participants were separated into separate classes. Hadi Khoosheh, a member and instructor of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force, demonstrated how to use a folding-stock Kalashnikov-style assault rifle.
Khoosheh said, “At the end of the training, those who complete the course will be given a card titled ‘Janfada’ proving that they have received basic and preliminary training on such weapons and that they can use this weapon in case, God forbid, something happens to our country.” he said.
However, weapons training was rudimentary at best for the young boys and older men gathered. One of them had difficulty inserting the magazine of the rifle and accidentally pointed the barrel of the empty gun at the others; This was a major security breach that people are taught to avoid in basic firearms training.
Mofidi, who attended the training, said, “We will definitely stand against (the Americans) and we will not give up even a centimeter of our land.” “Whether they come by sea or land, we will stand by our flag.”
___
Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi and Mehdi Fattahi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.
