Hundreds of thousands rally in Tehran in government-organized show of support for Iran

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied in Tehran on September 18, 2026, in a massive state-organized demonstration of defiance, marking the largest public gathering since the war with the United States and Israel began in February. Amid a crippling U.S. naval blockade and severe economic sanctions, the regime is mobilizing civilian volunteers under the "Janfaday-e Iran" campaign to bolster national security. Concurrently, Iran claimed a new projectile strike on the oil tanker Trend in the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting escalating regional tensions.

Tehran government-organized rally

• ▪Iranian state media estimated that over 300,000 people were on the streets of Tehran during the government-organized demonstration on September 18, 2026.
• ▪The government-organized rally in Tehran on September 18, 2026, featured displays of military hardware, including anti-aircraft batteries, truck-mounted machine guns, and military drones.
• ▪Hundreds of thousands of Iranians gathered in Tehran on September 18, 2026, for a government-organized rally, marking the largest such demonstration since the conflict with the United States and Israel began in February 2026.

Janfaday-e Iran volunteer mobilization

• ▪The "Janfaday-e Iran" campaign aims to recruit and provide limited military training, including assault rifle instruction, to Iranian civilian volunteers to act as an additional security layer.
• ▪Tehran's Revolutionary Guard chief, General Hassan Hassanzadeh, stated that over 600,000 people had registered for the "Janfaday-e Iran" military training campaign, with expectations that over 1 million would participate
• ▪Iranian government officials claimed in May 2026 that more than 30 million people had volunteered via online forms or public gatherings to defend the theocracy, a figure the Associated Press could not independently verify.

US naval blockade

• ▪A United States naval blockade of Iranian ports has worsened Iran's economy as part of an effort to increase economic pressure on Tehran during the war with the United States and Israel
• ▪The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported that ship transits facilitated by the United States military off Oman averaged 24 per day in mid-September 2026, representing a 90% decline in overall traffic compared to levels before the Iran war

Economic sanctions on Iran

• ▪Prior to the war with the United States and Israel, in January 2026, Iran experienced massive nationwide protests over its struggling economy and wider grievances, which resulted in a government crackdown that activists say killed over 7,000 people
• ▪The United States has imposed new economic sanctions on Iran to increase Tehran's economic pain amid the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel

Revolutionary Guard militia expansion

• ▪The newly appointed head of the Basij militia, Hossein Taeb, declared during the September 18, 2026 Tehran rally that civilian volunteers would be prepared for full-fledged defense and that similar rallies would be held in other Iranian cities
• ▪Analysts and observers suggest that the "Janfaday-e Iran" mobilization of new civilian volunteers under hard-line leaders like Hossein Taeb will prepare the Iranian regime to more effectively suppress future domestic anti-government protests

US-Israel conflict with Iran

• ▪The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran in February 2026, triggering months of ongoing military conflict.
• ▪Iran claimed responsibility for a September 18, 2026, projectile attack on the Togo-flagged oil tanker Trend in the Strait of Hormuz, alleging the vessel made an unauthorized attempt to transit the waterway.

Debatable claims

• ▪The United States should maintain its naval blockade of Iranian ports
• ▪Iran is justified in restricting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪Iran's civilian military mobilization is primarily designed to suppress domestic dissent