Iran is continuing its preparations for war with the US and Israel and is now training women for combat. In recent days, Iranian media have broadcast videos and images showing women, some of them in military uniforms, learning to operate weapons and practicing urban warfare as part of their training for a possible resumption of hostilities.
The training is part of an initiative by the “Jan Fada” movement, whose name in Persian means “those who sacrifice their lives.” It is a mass recruitment movement launched following the war with the US and Israel. The women are being trained by Basij forces, which gained notoriety for brutally suppressing the mass protests at the beginning of the year.
Sasan Zare, a spokesman for the training program, said that more than 500,000 women registered within 100 minutes of registration opening for the “National Resistance” battalions, filling the first 1,000 units. In light of the high demand, authorities approved the establishment of an additional 1,000 units of Iranian female fighters.
According to Zare, organizers are now also planning to establish 1,000 local aid and rescue units in coordination with the Red Crescent, with women expected to make up a significant proportion of the volunteers in those units.
He also said that many foreign nationals, including US citizens, had asked to join the new initiative in order to fight the US and Israel if the war resumes.
The program to train women for combat comes amid threats by senior Iranian military and government officials that, should the war with the US and Israel resume, “Iran will respond with a crushing blow to any new attack,” as Iranian Army commander Amir Hatami has stated.
Iranian Women Train To Defend Families & Communities Amid U.S.-Israel Tensions | N18G