Hundreds of thousands rally in Iran's largest show of defiance.

Iran held its largest government-organized rally since the U.S. and Israel attacked in February. Hundreds of thousands marched through downtown Tehran on Friday in combat uniforms.

• 300,000-plus people were on the streets Friday morning, per state broadcaster estimates.
• 600,000 people have registered; over 1 million are expected to complete training.
• 30 million Iranians claimed by officials to have volunteered as of May — AP could not confirm that figure.
• Iran claimed it attacked a Togo-flagged tanker, the Trend, in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.

Why it matters: The volunteer force adds a civilian tier to the Revolutionary Guard and Basij as Iran operates under a U.S. naval blockade and new U.S. sanctions. Strait of Hormuz traffic is running about 90% below pre-war levels, per the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center.

• Basij chief Hossein Taeb, who led the rally, also oversees forces that activists say killed over 7,000 people during January protests.
• Reporters noted the rally displayed anti-aircraft batteries, truck-mounted machine guns, and drones used against Hormuz shipping.

How 16 sources split on this story

Where they split: Coverage does not divide on facts, but reporters flag an unresolved tension: whether the rally reflects genuine public mobilization or state-organized pressure in a country with a recent history of mass anti-government protest.

What’s next: Similar rallies are scheduled in other Iranian cities in the coming days.

• Assault-rifle training for civilian volunteers is expected to begin soon, per state media.
• How many of the registered 600,000 volunteers will actually complete military training — and whether the force changes Iran's battlefield calculus — remains unknown.
• Whether the volunteer program will be used to suppress domestic dissent, as reporters suggest is possible, has not been confirmed.