Iran Holds Mass Public Weddings in Tehran for Janfada Scheme

Iranian authorities held mass public wedding ceremonies in Tehran late Monday for hundreds of couples who have signed up for a state-sponsored initiative pledging to sacrifice their lives in the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel. The events, broadcast live on state television, were staged in several major squares across the capital, with more than 100 couples participating in a ceremony at Imam Hossein Square alone.

The weddings are part of the government's "janfada" or self-sacrifice scheme, where citizens volunteer to risk their lives in wartime scenarios, such as forming human chains around critical infrastructure. Authorities say millions of Iranians, including prominent political figures like Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and President Masoud Pezeshkian, have enrolled in the program.

At Imam Hossein Square, couples arrived in military jeeps with mounted machine guns and were married on a stage decorated with balloons and a large portrait of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Clerics presided over the ceremonies as crowds of well-wishers holding roses looked on. The stage imagery highlighted the leadership of Khamenei, who has not appeared...