tehran —
As night falls on Iran’s vast capital and the snow-capped peaks of the Alborz Mountains fade into darkness, thousands of Iranians regularly take to the streets for state-sponsored rallies aimed at rallying supporters against the United States.
Near Tehran’s upscale Tajrish Square, the inevitable chant of “Death to America” echoes over a sea of Iranian flags, and street vendors peddle tea and souvenirs like patriotic baseball caps and patches to enthusiastic crowds.
“I am ready to sacrifice my life for my country and my people,” a young woman named Tiana, wearing glasses the colors of the Iranian flag, told me amidst deafening chants.
“All our people, all military forces, all commanders are ready to sacrifice their lives and fight with all their heart and soul,” he added, dismissing US President Donald Trump’s recent threat on social media to resume military action.
“The clock is ticking for Iran and we better move fast or there will be nothing left,” President Trump posted on his platform Truth Social on Sunday, further escalating tensions as stalled peace talks undermine a fragile ceasefire.
An old man holding a makeshift placard offered to translate a handwritten sign in Farsi. “We will protect our borders because nuclear and missile technology is as important as our borders,” it read.
“What we need is nuclear power, clean energy, not bombs,” he told me. This refers to Iran’s refusal to halt its controversial nuclear program, which President Trump has made a condition of ending the war.
“Trump knows we don’t have bombs, but he attacks us anyway,” he added.
Rumors of an impending U.S. and Israeli attack are swirling and fears are rising, with a growing sense among many Iranians that a renewed fighting is becoming inevitable.
“We know this war is not over, and we know that President Trump is not serious about negotiating,” said Fatima, who grew up in London and Dubai.
“He’ll be like, ‘If you don’t listen to me, I’m going to kill you,’ and even if we do what he says, he’ll attack us,” she added.
Rallies, or “night rallies,” have been held in various parts of the country every night for almost three months, basically since the war began.
But recent days have seen the eerie appearance of public gun kiosks offering civilians basic lessons in weapon use, a sign of how Iranian authorities are preparing the population for further conflict.
At a kiosk in Vanac Square, a woman wearing a black chador was seen learning how to use an AK-47 assault rifle, and a masked man in military uniform was teaching her how to take off and assemble the weapon.
A few feet away, a small girl was playing with an unloaded Kalashnikov, pointing it in the air before pulling the trigger and handing it back to a smiling instructor.
General calls to arms have been repeated on state television, with several channels showing hosts brandishing assault rifles.
Hossein Hosseini, a male anchor on the state-run Ofog channel, fired a rifle into the studio ceiling live on air after receiving a lesson from masked members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Separately, Channel-3’s female presenter Mobina Nasiri addressed viewers while holding an assault rifle in both hands.
“They sent me weapons from Vanak Square so that I, like you, could learn how to use them,” she announced.
But not all Iranians want to fight.
Just outside the Tajrish Square rally, in a quiet park near the Iranian Cinema Museum, locals were sipping tea and admiring the outdoor bookstores, and couples were strolling hand in hand.
“I’m against war,” said one young man as I passed by.
As one woman, a university professor, sat on a park bench with her husband, she told me that they both longed for change in Iran.
“We just want to live in a normal country where our children have a future,” she whispered in English.
“We want peace,” the young woman said, further hinting at the diversity of opinion within Iran.
But with the mood in the Islamic Republic becoming increasingly tense and the country potentially on the brink of a return to war, all but the hardline official message appears to be drowning out.
