Iran rallies thousands of volunteer fighters as talks with US stall: What to know
Iran has been leading a volunteer recruitment drive and providing military training to civilians as talks with the US remain stalled.
Iran staged a mass mobilization drill on Sunday for thousands of civilian volunteers on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz, with the participation of military and security forces as well as members of the Basij paramilitary force affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as tensions with the United States remain high.
What happened: Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said some 5,000 people, including men and women, attended the event, dubbed Sacrifice for Iran (Jan-Fada), held in the coastal city of Qeshm.
📸رزمایش جانفدایان ایران در جزیره قشم
— خبرگزاری جمهوری اسلامی - ایرنا (@IRNA_1313) September 28, 2026
رزمایش پنج هزار نفری جانفدایان ایران در جزیره قشم با حضور نیروهای نظامی و انتظامی، بسیجیان و اقشار مختلف مردم عصر یکشنبه (۵ مهر ۱۴۰۵) در بلوار ساحلی این شهر برگزار شد.https://t.co/DqEVyu0CDT pic.twitter.com/lUGkVG4dNo
The event featured live military drills and parades, while crowds gathered in a show of support for Iran’s IRGC and army against the US and Israel.
Officials cited by local media said the main purpose of the event was to increase public readiness for the country’s defense. Iranian media reported similar gatherings in the Hormuz, Kish and Abu Musa islands in the Gulf.
The Sacrifice for Iran drills are part of a wider campaign launched by the IRGC earlier this month to recruit volunteers and provide them with military training, with plans to form over 1,000 units and battalions.
