Hundreds of thousands attend Iran’s biggest government-organised rally since the war began

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. 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.

Estimates varied on the number of people volunteering to receive limited military training and defend the country in an effort described as “Janfaday-e Iran,” or the “ones who sacrifice their lives for Iran.” They marched through downtown Tehran in combat uniform, carrying flags, as onlookers cheered.