Iranian authorities and state television broadcasters have launched a nationwide public weapons-training campaign to teach civilians how to use assault rifles [1, 2].
This initiative signals a shift toward mobilizing the general population for potential conflict. By integrating military instruction into public spaces and state media, the government is preparing its citizenry for a possible escalation in regional hostilities.
The campaign, referred to by some sources as "Sacrifice for Iran" and by others as "Sacrifice Life for Iran" [1, 3], includes drills in Tehran and other Iranian cities [2, 4]. Military instructors are leading the training, which focuses on the assembly, dismantling, and handling of machine guns, and assault rifles [2, 3].
State television has played a central role in the rollout. Broadcasters have conducted AK-47 tutorials on air and demonstrated weapon assembly within the studios [3, 5]. In one instance, a host was shown shooting at a UAE flag during a demonstration [1].
Beyond the technical training, the government has linked the campaign to social initiatives. Authorities arranged mass-wedding ceremonies for hundreds of couples [6] who expressed a readiness to sacrifice their lives for the state.
Officials said the training is intended to prepare the population for renewed military escalation [1, 3]. These moves come amid ongoing tensions with the U.S. and Israel, and a fragile cease-fire in the region [1, 3].
Public demonstrations in the capital of Tehran have seen civilians handling rifles in city squares [2, 4]. The combination of televised tutorials and street-level drills suggests a comprehensive effort to normalize the presence of weaponry among the civilian population.
“Iranian authorities and state television broadcasters have launched a nationwide public weapons-training campaign”
The transition of weapons training from professional military environments to state television and city squares indicates a strategy of 'total defense.' By arming and training civilians, Iran is signaling to international adversaries that it is prepared for a protracted conflict that may extend beyond its formal military forces, while simultaneously using the campaign to foster nationalist sentiment and ideological loyalty through public rituals like mass weddings.
