Iran: Tehran stages largest demonstration since start of conflict

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets on Friday, in a government-organized demonstration following months of conflict. It marks the largest such protest since the United States and Israel attacked in February.

One demonstrator was opposed to the prospect of a peace deal with the US. Morteza Kamalu said, “these (Trump comments that Iranians want to make a deal) are just words. We have no negotiations with the murderer of our martyred leader, no way, we have no negotiations with them, no deal, and no peace.”

Tehran has sought to rally Iranians, even as a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and new U.S. sanctions loom large. Some of those among the crowd insisted they were ready to fight in order to defend their country.

Reacting to a hypothetical ground invasion by the US, Fatemeh Amiri said, “I will fight them with this gun, even without guns, with our faith in God, we will certainly defeat them. It’s God will that this nation will win.”

The rally was also an opportunity for Tehran to show off military hardware, including drones that have been used against vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials have insisted that Tehran will maintain its hold on the waterway.

Hossein Taeb, head of Iran’s paramilitary Basij force, said,”(Iran) will retain control on the Strait of Hormuz, and any other strait, with full strength, and will force the enemy to leave this region.”

Iran has asserted control over the Strait since start of the conflict, impacting the Gulf region’s shipments of oil and natural gas to the rest of the world.