Iran has opened a military training centre exclusively for female volunteers in Tehran.
The training facility, inaugurated on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, at Azadi Square in the Iranian capital, is part of the country’s nationwide Janfada campaign, which seeks to mobilise volunteers for national defence and other emergency responsibilities.
Footage from the opening ceremony showed dozens of Iranian women participating in military-style exercises, including handling assault rifles, scaling walls, rappelling and riding zip lines.
The exercises were organised under the supervision of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Basij paramilitary force.
According to Iranian authorities, the initiative is designed to strengthen civilian preparedness and enable volunteers to contribute to the country’s defence in the event of a military confrontation.
Head of the Women’s Basij Organisation in Tehran’s Mohammad Rasulullah Corps, Sudabeh Akbari said the programme was intended to expand women’s participation in national defence and related activities.
The Janfada campaign, which translates roughly as ‘self-sacrifice’, extends beyond weapons training to include emergency relief, first aid, firefighting and logistical support.
The opening of the women-only facility follows continuing tensions between Tehran and Washington, with Iranian authorities expressing concerns about the possibility of renewed military confrontation and a potential US ground operation.
