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Iran’s Janfada Drive Puts Women in Public Military Displays
Iran has started a campaign called Janfada to train volunteers for different kinds of work.
Some volunteers are learning military or security skills, while others are signing up for rescue and support jobs.
At a parade in Tehran, women marched carrying rifles, and some rode motorcycles.
Officials say the campaign helps the country prepare for possible future problems.
They have also said volunteers can help with social and practical needs.
One analyst says the campaign may help improve how people view the Basij militia.
The analyst also raised concerns about possible unrest and conflict.
Iran’s president asked volunteers to use less fuel and electricity because of shortages and economic pressure.
Iran’s Janfada campaign trains and arms civilian volunteers under the Basij, part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
At a Tehran parade on September 18, women in chadors marched with rifles, and some rode motorcycles.
Tehran IRGC chief Hassan Hassanzadeh said more than 600,000 people registered for the active mobilisation phase.
Organisers said about 26 percent of registrants chose military or security roles; others selected support roles.
Officials describe the campaign as readiness, while analyst Ali Alfoneh says it may also seek to restore the Basij’s public image.
- Who
- Iranian authorities, Basij volunteers, and women participating in the campaign.
- What
- The Janfada campaign is mobilising and training civilian volunteers for military, security, rescue, and other support roles.
- Where
- Tehran, Iran.
- When
- The campaign was unveiled in March 2026; a large parade took place on September 18.
- Why
- Officials describe the campaign as preparing citizens for security and support roles amid heightened tensions and possible failure of talks with Washington.
Official and Campaign View
Analyst’s Assessment
Purpose of the mobilisation
Official and Campaign View
Officials present Janfada as preparation for security and support roles, including readiness if talks with Washington fail.
Analyst’s Assessment
Ali Alfoneh says the campaign may be intended to restore the Basij’s image as a patriotic volunteer force after its association with domestic coercion and suppression of dissent.
Potential future threats
Official and Campaign View
Iranian officials have linked the campaign to readiness amid heightened tensions but do not describe an imminent ground invasion threat.
Analyst’s Assessment
Alfoneh said possible scenarios could include conflict in peripheral regions or large-scale popular uprisings driven by economic pressure.
Key facts
- Campaign
- Janfada, meaning “those who sacrifice their lives,” also called “Sacrifice for Iran.”
- Organising force
- The Basij militia, a wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- Unveiled
- March 2026, according to the article.
- Registered volunteers
- More than 600,000, according to Tehran IRGC head Hassan Hassanzadeh.
- Military or security roles
- About 26 percent of registrants, according to organisers.
- Other roles
- Rescue, social services, media, and financial support.
- Parade
- Held in Tehran on September 18; women and men marched, and some women rode motorcycles.
Quotes
Ali Alfoneh
Senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute
“If not a US ground invasion of Iran, then the prospect of a US and Israeli-instigated civil war in Iran’s peripheral regions, as well as large-scale popular uprisings driven by mounting economic pressure.”
theprint.in
“Since the end of the (Iran-Iraq) war in 1988, however, the Basij has evolved into an instrument of domestic coercion and the suppression of dissent, severely damaging the organisation’s public image.”
theprint.in
Sources
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