Tehran holds its first military training course for women after calls for Iranians to ‘sacrifice themselves’

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By FRANCINE WOLFISZ, NEWS REPORTER 19:42 04 Oct 2026, updated 19:47 04 Oct 2026

Women have been learning how to handle deadly assault rifles, ride zip lines and carry out first aid at a military training camp in Tehran, as the Islamic regime continues to call on all Iranians to ‘sacrifice themselves’.

The first such course designed specifically for women was held at Imam Hussein Square in Tehran on Sunday as part of the regime’s Jan Fada, or ‘sacrificing life’, campaign.

Scores of women wearing the chador, a long black garment that covers their entire body and exposes only their face, were put through their paces as Middle East tensions continue to simmer and fears mount over rising global oil prices.

Iran vowed on Sunday to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut unless the US meets its demands, with Tehran warning there is ‘no military solution’ to the situation.

The training took place amid the regime’s goal of organising 1,000 volunteer resistance battalions across Iran.

Taking place during Iran’s Sacred Defense Week, the women learnt a wide range of military skills, first aid, guerrilla tactics, survival techniques and preparedness for harsh conditions, according to Jordanian-based media outlet Roya News.

In May, Daily Mail reported that women – and young children – were being shown how to handle high-powered assault weapons during a gathering in central Tehran.

Chilling footage showed crowds gathering around Revolutionary Guard handlers at specially erected military booths.

Hundreds of ordinary citizens, of all ages and genders, were taught how to operate AK-47 assault rifles in preparation for renewed strikes by US forces on the country.

An inside source however speculated that the public weapon-training drives were also being used to bolster numbers needed to crush domestic rebellion.

Among those willingly signing up to the drive was state TV host, Mobina Nasiri, who delivered a terrifying pledge to the cameras that ‘in case of need, she and all women will join the war as cannon-fodder.’

The latest Jan Fada push comes just months after Tehran’s ambassador to the UK was summoned by the Foreign Office over an ‘unacceptable and inflammatory’ social media post.

The Mail revealed in April this year that his embassy encouraged British residents to join a ‘martyrdom’ program.

Counter terror police launched an investigation into the social media post, which urged ‘proud Iranian compatriots’ to sign up to the cause.

The message asked for ‘all brave and noble children of Iran’ with a ‘desire for the people’s defence of the land of Iran’ to come forward in a ‘display of solidarity, loyalty, and national zeal’.

Prompting concerns over national security, the post in Farsi on the embassy’s official Telegram channel read: ‘Let us all, to a man, give our bodies to be slain; For it is better than giving our country to the enemy.’

Hamish Falconer, who served as Middle East Minister at the time, summoned Ambassador Seyed Ali Mousavi to the Foreign Office.

A statement said: ‘The Minister made clear that these actions and comments were completely unacceptable, and that the Embassy must cease any form of communications that could be interpreted as encouraging violence in the UK or internationally.

‘Iran’s brutal and repressive regime will continue to be called out by the UK Government for its malign activities on UK soil, its reckless attacks against our allies in the Gulf, and its violence against its own people.

‘The UK Government is clear that protecting national security remains our top priority, and we will take all measures necessary to protect the British people.’

The Iranian Embassy previously insisted that the ‘Jan Fada’ – or ‘sacrificing life’ – program ‘does not promote any form of hostility’.

On Sunday, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned the Strait of Hormuz is set to remain closed until the US agrees to its terms.

The Islamic Republic says the US needs to comply with ‘seven conditions’ that it set out in an agreement in June, insisting the country’s position remains ‘completely clear and firm’.

The closure of the key strait in the Persian Gulf has led to huge spikes in global oil prices, with shortages seeing the cost of diesel rise above £2 per litre for the first time in the UK last week.

G7 leaders, in a bid to curb rising costs and under pressure from US President Donald Trump, agreed to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil from their emergency reserves on Friday.

The country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi added there is ‘no military solution’ to the war.

‘If our enemies again choose the path of military confrontation, our response will be stronger than before, and we will defend ourselves with even more force.

‘There is no military solution, nor any solution based on new sanctions,’ he said.

The June memorandum of understanding led to a brief ceasefire and included provisions on the strait and Iran’s nuclear program.

But Mr Trump told reporters last month that Tehran was now desperate to reopen the vital waterway because it was ‘losing so badly’, and confirmed he had rejected its latest ceasefire proposal.

The President told aides that he expected to continue bombing Iran after the midterms in November.

The US has not struck Iran since September 1.

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