Women in Tehran underwent firearms training as Iran opened more civilian military centres. The drills underscored ground war fears as Washington and Tehran exchanged fresh threats.
With tensions mounting between Iran, the United States and Israel, Iranian women took part in firearms training in Tehran on Sunday, preparing for a possible ground attack as Washington and Tehran traded fresh warnings over the eight-month conflict.
At a military training centre in Imam Hussein Square, women listened to military officials and instructors before being taught how to handle and fire weapons, including handguns.
The training came a day after Iran opened another civilian military training centre at Haft-e Tir Square. The facilities are aimed at preparing civilians to confront US and Israeli forces if they launch a ground offensive, according to the footage and reports from the training centres.
For some women taking part, the drills were less about combat and more about being prepared to protect their families.
Raheleh Ghadiri, a 45-year-old participant, said learning how to defend her family and neighbourhood in wartime would help ease her fears.
The scenes from Tehran came as US President Donald Trump warned that he could make a decision on Iran “very soon”, signalling that Washington was weighing its next move as efforts to establish peace and end the conflict remain deadlocked.
“Iran’s been decimated. So the only question is, it’ll either be the easy way or the hard way,” Trump told reporters before leaving the White House for Ohio, where he was campaigning for Republican candidates ahead of the November midterm elections.
Trump’s warning was met with a defiant message from Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi, who rejected the idea that the conflict could be resolved through military force or further sanctions.
“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,” Araghchi said at a gathering of foreign ambassadors.
“There is no military solution, nor any solution based on new sanctions,” he said, arguing that only negotiations based on “justice and fairness” could bring the conflict to an end.
As diplomatic efforts remain stalled and threats of renewed military action continue, Iran’s civilian training camps are sending a stark message: ordinary people are being prepared for the possibility that the war could reach the ground.
