Iranian authorities held mass public weddings in Tehran for couples who signed up for a state-sponsored scheme declaring their willingness to sacrifice their lives in the war against the United States and Israel.
Ceremonies held late on Monday involved hundreds of couples in several major squares in the capital, including more than 100 in the large Imam Hossein Square in central Tehran, according to Iranian media reports.
They were broadcast on state television in a bid to boost wartime morale, and US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened new military action against Iran amid a shaky ceasefire that halted fighting that began on February 28.
Those involved had adhered, according to the Iranian media, to the “self-sacrifice” plan (janfada in Persian), in which people agreed to risk their lives in war, for example by forming human chains in front of power plants.
Iranian authorities say millions of people, including prominent figures such as Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and President Masoud Pezeshkian, have submitted their names.
The couples arrived at Imam Hossein Square in military jeeps with machine guns mounted and were married on a stage in a ceremony presided over by a cleric, AFP images shown.
The stage was decorated with balloons and a giant image of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
“Certainly, the country is at war, but young people also have the right to get married,” said a young woman in a white Islamic wedding dress, whose name was not identified, next to her boyfriend in images published by the Further news agency.
A man in a dark suit, along with his future wife, said that they were happy that the occasion marked the anniversary of the marriage of Hazrat Ali (RA) to Hazrat Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
“We received your blessings. Furthermore, we came to offer our best wishes to the people on the streets,” he said.
Mehr said 110 couples had participated in the ceremony in Imam Hossein Square alone. He AFP Footage showed crowds of supporters hugging roses and watching.
