Overview
- This week state television aired live segments in which presenters and masked Revolutionary Guard instructors demonstrated how to load, aim and fire Kalashnikov-style rifles, including a viral clip of a host firing at an image of the UAE flag.
- Authorities have set up public training booths and staged open-air drills across Tehran where civilians, women, teenagers and children have been shown basic rifle handling and given certificates of completion.
- Senior state broadcasters defended the programming as defensive education tied to themes of jihad and resistance while officials have claimed more than 30 million people have registered for the 'Janfada' or 'Sacrifice Life' mobilisation.
- Human-rights advocates and opposition figures warn the visible arming and use of minors and inexperienced civilians raises safety and child-arming concerns, and on-the-ground reporting showed rudimentary instruction and safety breaches.
- The push occurs during an uneasy ceasefire and ongoing diplomatic exchanges with the United States, and analysts say the displays serve both to reassure hard-line constituencies at home and to signal deterrence abroad.