Gun-toting, sword-wielding Iranian volunteers put on show of defiance

Men carrying swords and veiled women armed with Kalashnikovs paraded through Tehran on Friday, swearing to defend their homeland, as Iran mobilised its supporters after more than six months of war.

Students in military uniforms marched at the double, weapons in hand, past a large portrait of late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed on the first day of the war.

Several participants told AFP they were ready to "sacrifice" themselves for their country, echoing the rally's slogan.

"I am ready to take up arms and go wherever I'm told," said a 38-year-old woman, requesting anonymity.

In early April, at the height of US-Israeli strikes, Iran launched a mobilisation campaign dubbed Janfada ("Sacrifice for the Homeland").

According to the authorities, more than 30 million people registered for a potential call-up, about a third of the population of 86 million people.

Training sessions in weapons handling and first aid are regularly available.

- 'Resist' -

Every evening during the war, supporters gather in cities across the country to "resist" in what is presented as a war of survival for Iran.

Friday's parade followed 200 nightly rallies and the latest threats from US President Donald Trump, who told Axios he was weighing up whether to "annihilate" the Islamic republic.

"Not even in your dreams!" snorted Mehdi Mohammadi, a weapon slung over his shoulder, when asked about Trump's comments.

"If he could have done it at the start of the war... he would have done," said the 65-year-old retiree, who came to reaffirm his support for the authorities.

A new campaign for volunteers will begin in the coming days. The call for unity comes as the war has worsened Iranians' economic hardship, leaving them struggling to make ends meet.

In December, protests against the high cost of living quickly turned into a challenge to the political system in place since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

The war, sparked in late February by Israeli-American strikes, has paradoxically allowed the authorities to regain the initiative by presenting themselves as a bulwark against the US and Israel, sworn enemies of the Islamic Republic.