Iran Puts Women in Uniform: Inside Tehran's First All-Women Military Camp ‎

Iran has taken a visible step in its national mobilisation drive. Al Jazeera reported on 11 November that the country had opened its first military training camp exclusively for women, amid concern about renewed US attacks. Dozens of women described as "Janfadayan," volunteers prepared to sacrifice their lives for Iran, took part in exercises at Tehran's Azadi Square.

The word comes from "Janfada," meaning "Sacrifice for Iran," the volunteer campaign Tehran launched to prepare for national defence. The IRGC says it wants to use the main squares of all 31 provincial capitals for the programme, which targets young people but is open to all ages.

Training for women has reportedly included handling firearms, operating drones, urban exercises, self-defence, first aid, rappelling and survival skills.

A caution on the "first" label. Earlier reports describe a first women's course held at Imam Hossein Square in Tehran in late September or early October. Officials said women in the formal courses are adults.

Roya News concluded that this looks like part of a wider volunteer network, rather than a separate women's military force. The Azadi Square camp therefore looks like an expansion of an existing campaign, not a brand-new army unit.

The law explains why this is possible. Women are exempt from compulsory military service in Iran but can volunteer, and Article 151 of the Constitution obliges the Basij Mostazafan to offer optional basic military training to female citizens. At the same time, women are denied career positions in the armed forces. The camp is thus about civilian readiness, not a new professional role.

The timing is the real story. The training comes during a temporary pause in fighting, as the US keeps up economic pressure and Tehran refuses to back down. Reports linked the mobilisation to preparation for a potential US ground invasion. Tehran's message is that defence is a national duty shared by men and women, and that any future attacker should expect a mobilised society.

Observers read it differently. Supporters of the campaign see a patriotic, defensive effort. Critics, including some analysts, see a siege mentality and a propaganda exercise by the authorities, with claims of scale that are hard to verify.

One spokesman claimed that more than 500,000 women registered within 100 minutes, a figure reported by Israel National News and not independently confirmed. Independent verification of participation numbers, and of how real the training is, remains limited.

For West Africa, which watches the Gulf closely because of oil prices and security alliances, the lesson is clear: Iran is preparing for a long confrontation, and the mobilisation of women signals that it expects a prolonged one.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)

[email protected]
+233555275880

Sources
EconoTimes, "Al Jazeera Reports Iran Opened Its First All-Women Military Training Camp" (11 Nov 2026): https://econotimes.com/Al-Jazeera-Reports-Iran-Opened-Its-First-All-Women-Military-Training-Camp-1775008

Al Jazeera, "Iran's authorities take 'self-sacrifice' mobilisation campaign nationwide" (25 Oct 2026): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/25/irans-authorities-take-self-sacrifice-mobilisation-campaign-nationwide

Jerusalem Post, report on women's Janfada training: https://jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-910782

Roya News, "Iran launches military training for women in 'Jan-Fada' campaign": https://en.royanews.tv/news/74334 and https://en.royanews.tv/news/74512

WION, "Iranian women undergo firearms training amid rising tensions with US, Israel": https://www.wionews.com/world/iranian-women-firearms-training-us-israel-tensions-janfada-1791201845744

WION Gravitas, "Women in Iran take up arms for war": https://www.wionews.com/gravitas/women-in-iran-take-up-arms-for-war-as-mass-mobilisation-campaign-intensifies-gravitas-1790788316489

Israel National News, report on women's training: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/434154

Caspian Post / Mehr, "Iran Holds First Military Training Course for Women in Janfada Campaign": https://caspianpost.com/iran/iran-holds-first-military-training-course-for-women-in-janfada-campaign