Iranian women train with rifles and drones in Janfada mobilisation, reports say
Version 2: A further outlet, Dong-A Ilbo, adds the state-run Tasnim agency's account of a first specialised training course for female Janfada members on September 29, including FPV drone piloting, and the movement's own website description of preparing the nation against “US and Zionist enemies”.
In short
Iranian women are volunteering for military training in preparation for a possible US attack, Yonhap reported, citing an October 5 report by Britain's Telegraph. Footage released by Iranian media shows women in uniforms or chadors training in drill formations, urban defence and weapons handling with AK rifles, sniper rifles, anti-tank rockets and shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles. The volunteers are part of the “Janfada” mobilisation movement led by the Basij militia, and Iran's Tasnim agency reported a first specialised course for women on September 29 that included FPV drone piloting.
Read the full story 2 min read
Iranian women are voluntarily taking part in military training in preparation for a possible US attack, Yonhap reported, citing an October 5 report by the British daily The Telegraph. Videos and photographs released by Iranian media show women in uniforms or chadors training on a drill ground. Seoul Shinmun also reported that women were receiving military training, framing it around the absence of gender distinction in national defence, and Dong-A Ilbo reported that the “Janfada” movement had extended to women. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The women receive instruction in drill formations, urban defence and street-search manoeuvres, and in handling AK rifles, sniper rifles, RPG anti-tank rockets and shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, Yonhap reported. The programme also includes guerrilla-style physical conditioning and courses in relief work, firefighting and observation designed for women. Dong-A Ilbo, citing Iran's state-run Tasnim news agency, said a first specialised course for female Janfada members was held on September 29 and covered shooting, urban and guerrilla warfare, rescue and first aid, survival training and FPV drone piloting. [ 2 , 3 ]
The activity is part of the mass mobilisation movement called “Janfada”, meaning those who sacrifice their lives, which Yonhap reported began after a war broke out in February. The Basij militia, a paramilitary organisation under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, leads the movement under the slogan of “national resistance”. Iranian media said 500,000 volunteers gathered within 100 minutes of recruitment opening, according to the report. Dong-A Ilbo said the movement's official website describes it as informing the public of the nation's readiness to defend Iran against “US and Zionist enemies”. [ 2 ]
Citing The Telegraph, Yonhap reported that the first training site for women volunteers opened at Imam Hossein Square in Tehran and that at least 14 sites now operate in Tehran alone, with new women's training centres also being established in provincial cities. [ 2 ]
Janfada spokesman Sasan Zare said the movement plans to organise 1,000 community-based relief and rescue units in cooperation with the Red Crescent, adding that women make up the largest share of volunteers and that an 80-year-old grandmother had volunteered. Iranian authorities promote the campaign as a revival of the “20-million-strong army” summoned by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, which Iran calls the “sacred defence”; the report said women performed major rear-support duties in that war. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
Iranian authorities present the campaign as a revival of the mass volunteer forces of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, and its reported scale would point to preparations for a possible US strike. Much of the material originates in Iranian state media and reaches Korean readers through a British newspaper, so how far the volunteering is independent or how many women take part cannot be checked from the documents alone.
Key facts
- Iranian women are voluntarily taking part in military training in preparation for a possible US attack, according to reports carried by Yonhap and Dong-A Ilbo. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Seoul Shinmun reported that women are receiving military training, framing it around there being no gender distinction in national defence. [ 1 ]
- Training shown in video and photographs released by Iranian media includes drill formations, urban defence and street-search manoeuvres, and handling of AK rifles, sniper rifles and RPG anti-tank rockets. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Yonhap reported that the programme also covers shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, guerrilla-style physical conditioning, and relief, firefighting and observation courses designed for women. [ 2 ]
- Iran's state-run Tasnim news agency reported on September 29 that the first specialised training course for female Janfada members was held, including shooting, urban and guerrilla warfare, rescue and first aid, survival training and FPV drone piloting. [ 3 ]
- The training is part of the “Janfada” mass mobilisation movement, which Yonhap said began after a war broke out in February and is led by the Basij militia under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Iranian media said 500,000 volunteers signed up within 100 minutes of recruitment opening, according to the report. [ 2 ]
- Janfada spokesman Sasan Zare said the movement plans 1,000 community-based relief and rescue units with the Red Crescent, and that women make up the largest share of volunteers. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether a US attack is actually expected, and on what basis. The documents state only that the training is preparation for a possible US attack, without giving evidence, official statements or a timeframe.
- The figure of 500,000 volunteers within 100 minutes of recruitment opening. This is attributed to Iranian media via the Telegraph report and appears in a single document.
- The war said to have broken out in February and to have triggered the mobilisation. The documents refer to a February war without naming the parties, location or outcome.
- The number of women among the volunteers. The documents say only that women make up the largest share of volunteers, without figures.
- The full content of the specialised women's course reported by Tasnim on September 29. This is a single-source claim relayed through Dong-A Ilbo, whose article text is cut off mid-sentence.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Seoul Shinmun publishes a report titled “No gender distinction in national defence… Iranian women receiving military training”. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap publishes its report citing the Telegraph's October 5 story on Iranian women volunteering for military training. [ 2 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo publishes its report adding the September 29 Tasnim account of the first specialised course for female Janfada members. [ 3 ]