Iran Holds Mass Wartime Weddings in Tehran
Iranian authorities staged mass public weddings across Tehran on Monday night for hundreds of couples who had formally pledged their lives in the country’s ongoing conflict against the United States and Israel, state media reported.
The ceremonies, broadcast live on Iranian state television as a deliberate wartime morale exercise, took place simultaneously in several major squares across the capital. More than 100 couples exchanged vows at the vast Imam Hossein Square in central Tehran alone, according to Iranian media reports corroborated by AFP footage.
Participants had registered under what authorities describe as the “self-sacrifice” scheme, known in Persian as janfada, a state-sponsored programme through which citizens formally pledge to risk their lives in defence of the country. Acts of sacrifice under the scheme range from forming human chains around critical infrastructure such as power stations to other frontline civilian support roles.
Iranian authorities claim millions of citizens have enrolled in the programme, including prominent political figures. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and President Masoud Pezeshkian are among senior officials said to have added their names.
At Imam Hossein Square, couples arrived in military jeeps fitted with mounted machine guns before ascending a decorated stage where a cleric presided over the ceremonies. The venue was adorned with balloons and a giant portrait of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since ascending to the position following the killing of his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, on the opening day of the war.
State news agency Mehr reported that 110 couples participated in the Imam Hossein Square ceremony alone, with AFP images capturing crowds of onlookers holding roses.
One bride, dressed in a white Islamic gown and unidentified by name, acknowledged the gravity of the moment. “Certainly, the country is at war, but young people also have the right to marry,” she said in footage published by Mehr.
A groom present at the ceremony noted that the occasion coincided with the anniversary of the marriage of Prophet Ali to Fatima, a date of deep significance in Shia Islam. “We received their blessings. Furthermore, we came to offer our best wishes to the people in the streets,” he said.
The weddings form part of a broader pattern of near-daily mass pro-government gatherings held by Iranian authorities since the outbreak of fighting on February 28, aimed at projecting popular unity and civilian mobilisation during the conflict.
The ceremonies occurred against a backdrop of mounting international pressure. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened fresh military action against Iran, even as a fragile ceasefire nominally holds.