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  Subscribe for as low as $2/week to access this story and all reporting.  (Enter your email) ()   (Continue)  (form-0PYdGJylGVn12IzPZIqfUQNkONpD7ESlQ7S-NRnSqME)  (pro_subscribe_email_form)   By entering your email, you agree to receive AL-MONITOR's daily newsletter and occasional marketing messages.     Why AL-MONITOR?   AL-MONITOR is an award-winning media outlet covering the Middle East, valued for its independence, diversity and analysis. It is read widely by US, international and Middle East decision makers at the highest levels, as well as by media, thought and business leaders and academia.     Read by   (White House logo)  (European Union logo)  (United Nations logo)  (NATO logo)  (Foreign & Commonwealth Office logo)  (World Bank logo)  (Harvard University logo)  (Council for Foreign Relations logo)        (message icon)     Live news & notifications   Follow over 100 expert journalists based across the region and get notified in real time of breaking stories and exclusives. *Expanded coverage on Energy & Defense sectors.   (message icon)     Premier analysis of the Middle East   Access the sharpest and most diverse regional minds giving you all the angles on regional trends.   (message icon)     Live events & video   Priority access to roundtables, summits and other events alongside AL-MONITOR's global community of regional influencers.   (message icon)     Specialized Newsletters   Get timely reporting on key countries and sectors with up to 10 daily and weekly newsletters straight to your inbox.   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(A correspondent in Tehran)   (https://www.al-monitor.com/authors/an-al-monitor-correspondent-in-t.html) A correspondent in Tehran   Sep 18, 2026        (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al-monitor.com%2Foriginals%2F2026%2F09%2Firan-regime-marks-200-days-war-it-also-preparing-dissent)     (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=As%20Iran%20regime%20marks%20200%20days%20of%20war%2C%20is%20it%20also%20preparing%20for%20dissent%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al-monitor.com%2Foriginals%2F2026%2F09%2Firan-regime-marks-200-days-war-it-also-preparing-dissent&via=AlMonitor)     (mailto:?subject=From%20AL-MONITOR.com%3A%20As%20Iran%20regime%20marks%20200%20days%20of%20war%2C%20is%20it%20also%20preparing%20for%20dissent%3F&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.al-monitor.com%2Foriginals%2F2026%2F09%2Firan-regime-marks-200-days-war-it-also-preparing-dissent%0A%0ARead%20more%20at%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.AL-MONITOR.com)     (https://google.com/preferences/source?q=https://www.al-monitor.com/)   Add AL-MONITOR on Google         (Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march)      Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march with riffles during a military rally named Janfada (those willing to sacrifice their lives) in Tehran on Sept. 18, 2026.  — AFP via Getty Images      TEHRAN — Tehran's streets on Friday were a stage for one of the Islamic Republic's most conspicuous displays of (https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/09/china-presses-iran-us-reopen-hormuz-disruptions-threaten-oil-supply) wartime mobilization since the conflict with the United States and Israel began in late February. According to the country's state TV and news agencies, hundreds of thousands gathered for the government-organized event marking 200 days of war, with volunteers from the "Janfada," or "self-sacrificing," campaign appearing in military fatigues alongside displays of drones and other military equipment. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated Basij paramilitary force presented the event as evidence of popular readiness to defend the country. Yet the gathering was about more than projecting strength to Washington and Tel Aviv, moving from symbolic wartime solidarity toward a more structured show of force. Brig. Gen. Hassan Hassanzadeh, commander of the IRGC's Rasoulallah Corps base in Tehran — known for having spearheaded (https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/08/why-iran-intensifying-wartime-crackdown-restive-baluchistan) crackdowns on previous rounds of unrest in the capital — said volunteers registered through Janfada were being "organized and trained" into battalions. The campaign registration was launched after the war began in late February, calling on Iranians to enroll as volunteers in preparation for a possible US ground invasion. Officials later claimed that more than 22 million people had signed up for the campaign, which has received sustained IRGC financial backing and state media coverage.    SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE   Continue reading this exclusive analysis   Original reporting and analysis unavailable elsewhere. 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