Video: Iranian grandmother trains for combat, vows to defend country if needed

Abdullateef Fowewe

An elderly Iranian woman has taken part in civilian combat training in Tehran, saying she is prepared to help defend the country if required.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd9SyzYqJqv/?stkn=MWRvZXI4c2F0NTh4dg==

Footage from the exercise shows the woman participating in shooting drills, grenade-throwing exercises and physical training as part of Iran’s “Janfada” campaign, a state-backed mobilisation programme whose name means “those who sacrifice their lives for Iran.”

“I am ready to defend my country if needed,” the woman says in the footage, while taking part in the military-style exercises.

The programme is being organised under Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Authorities have presented the initiative as an effort to strengthen civilian preparedness and demonstrate national unity amid continued tensions with the United States and Israel.

Iranian officials say hundreds of thousands of people have registered for the programme, while state media have encouraged volunteers to undergo basic military training, including instruction in the use of assault rifles.

A training centre for Janfada volunteers was recently opened at Imam Hossein Square in Tehran, offering lessons in marksmanship, firearms handling and defensive operations.

The initiative emerged after US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February 2026, which triggered an ongoing period of sporadic hostilities and heightened fears of a broader regional conflict.

Tehran says the civilian mobilisation is intended to provide an additional layer of national defence alongside the regular armed forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij.