Tehran calls on Iranians to ‘sacrifice their lives’ as thousands flood capital’s streets in regime’s major rally

TEHRAN has called on its people to “sacrifice their lives for Iran” as it rallied hundreds of thousands of civilians in a government-organised show of defiance. Gun-toting regime loyalists marched through the streets of the capital yesterday in an attempted show of force, with authorities claiming more than 300,000 people joined the march. Tehran’s repressive regime has called on its people to ‘sacrifice their lives for Iran’ Credit: Getty Regime loyalists paraded weapons through the capital Credit: Getty Twisted coffins depicting Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu were displayed during the march Credit: Getty The demonstration came as part of a huge recruitment drive for volunteers to take up arms for Iran Credit: Getty The regime’s largest demonstration since the US-Israel war on Iran came as its leaders called on its people to give their lives for their country. The rally was called “Janfaday-e Iran” or “ones who sacrifice their lives for Iran” and was orchestrated as a show of force for the repressive regime. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! A huge recruitment drive has been calling up Iranians to take up arms as the country’s economy flounders under the US blockade of its ports. New volunteers will be trained with assault rifles after security forces gunned down tens of thousands of its own civilians during anti-government protests at the start of the year. Young children were seen holding weapons at the government-planned protests Credit: Getty Iranian women military personnel from the paramilitary Basij, part of the IRGC Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Weapons wielded on the streets of Tehran yesterday Credit: Getty New volunteers will be trained with assault rifles Credit: Getty The new head of the Basij, Hossein Taeb, the bloodthirsty IRGC‘s volunteer wing, claimed new recruits will be ready for a “full-fledged defence” of their country. He said the new volunteers would be a “nightmare” for Iran’s enemies and vowed to repeat the state-backed demonstration in cities across the country. IRGC boss General Hassan Hassanzadeh said more than 600,000 Iranians had already signed up for the military-training campaign. He claimed more than a million could take part. Most read in The Sun Iranian authorities said more than 300,000 people took part in the state-organised rally Credit: Alamy A huge recruitment drive has been calling up Iranians to take up arms Credit: Alamy IRGC boss General Hassan Hassanzadeh said more than 600,000 Iranians had already signed up for the military-training campaign Credit: Alamy He claimed more than a million could take part Credit: Getty Hardliners trampled American and Israeli flags chanting “Death to the US” and “Death to Israel”. They even dragged sick coffins adorned with pictures of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, after repeated threats on the leaders’ lives. Demonstrator Marzieh Afaghi, 24, declared: “I am here to tell (U.S. President Donald) Trump that we Iranians have no fear about his threats against our homeland.” She said: “No one in history could invade Iran and remain there.” Regime enforcers paraded military equipment through the streets including anti-aircraft batteries and huge machine guns. It comes as disturbing satellite pics revealed that Iran is rapidly rebuilding a nuclear base just months after Israeli forces blitzed the bunker. Bulldozers, cranes, concrete mixers and dump trucks can be seen swarming around the sprawling Taleghan 2 facility. New concrete defences are also springing up around the facility in anticipation of another attack, according to analysis by David Albright, a former UN nuclear weapons inspector. Israel first bombed the site back in October 2024 before blasting it again in March. The Washington-based institute described the development as “deeply concerning” because of the base’s previous role in nuclear weapons research. The bunker formed part of Iran’s secret Amad programme – a plot to develop nukes in the early 2000s. US intelligence believes the scheme shut down in 2003 – but experts say the bunker still houses a special chamber reinforced for explosive nuclear experiments. The construction came as Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping blocked a UN motion to monitor whether Iran is violating its pact not to develop the deadly weapons. Comment now