“Janfada” Drill: Armed Volunteers, Basij Mobilization and the Unusual Appearance of Female Motorcyclists in Tehran

How many people actually participated?

This is one of the most difficult questions surrounding the event.

Iranian organizers described the Tehran event as a 313,000-person exercise.

Separately, Tehran IRGC commander Hassan Hassanzadeh was reported as saying that approximately 500,000 people had registered to participate in Tehran.

These numbers describe different things.

The first is a planned or designated exercise size.

The second is a registration figure.

Neither figure independently establishes the exact number of people physically present at every point along the parade route.

Independent verification is difficult because the event occurred under restrictive media conditions, and access for journalists was controlled.

For that reason, the safest formulation is:

Iranian authorities and state-linked media described the Tehran exercise as involving 313,000 participants, while officials reported roughly 500,000 registrations in the capital.

That wording preserves the information without presenting official figures as independently verified measurements.

September 18, 2026 | 5:45 pm