TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has opened a military training centre dedicated to women volunteers in Tehran, bringing female participants into a growing civilian mobilisation campaign as authorities prepare for the possibility of renewed military confrontation with the United States.

The centre was inaugurated on Tuesday, November 10, at the western side of Azadi Square. The opening was reported by Iranian state-linked media and covered in photographs by The Associated Press. Women taking part in the exercises were seen handling firearms, rappelling down a training structure and using a zip line.

The development has been widely described as the opening of Iran’s first all-women military training camp. However, it is important to distinguish the facility from the creation of a separate female army. The centre is part of the Janfada volunteer mobilisation campaign and offers military-style and emergency-response training; the available reports do not indicate that Iran has established a new women-only branch of its regular armed forces.

Women volunteers taking part in Janfada military training in Tehran
Women volunteers receive military training in Tehran during the Janfada campaign on September 25, 2026. Photo: Masoud Shahrestani, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

What Is The Janfada Campaign?

Janfada, a term associated with self-sacrifice for Iran, is a nationwide volunteer initiative intended to prepare civilians for national defence and other emergency duties. The women’s centre is linked to the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary organisation affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iranian authorities have presented the programme as a way to expand public participation in national preparedness. The Associated Press reported that the broader campaign includes military training, emergency relief preparation and logistical support, with the new centre intended to prepare volunteers for a possible US ground assault.

Al Jazeera also reported that dozens of women described as “Janfadayan” took part in exercises at Azadi Square. The term refers to volunteers willing to sacrifice themselves for Iran. The public demonstrations were designed to show women participating in activities traditionally associated with military preparation.

Firearms, Rappelling And Emergency Training

Images and reports from the opening showed women handling rifles and handguns, receiving weapons instruction, rappelling from a structure and riding a zip line. Iranian reports about the programme have also described training in specialised weapons, air-defence systems, small drone operations, urban defence, first aid, rescue work and firefighting.

The range of activities suggests that the initiative is not limited to conventional combat drills. Organisers have also emphasised civil defence and emergency assistance, although the precise curriculum, duration of courses and standards for completing the training have not been independently detailed in the available reporting.

Not Iran’s First Women’s Military Training

Although the newly opened facility has been described as the first centre dedicated to women under the Janfada campaign, women’s participation in military-style training did not begin this week. Roya News reported in September that Iran had already held a training course for selected women participating in the campaign. That earlier course reportedly included military skills, first aid, survival techniques and preparedness exercises.

The distinction matters: the November 10 event marks the inauguration of a dedicated public training centre for women, rather than the first occasion on which Iranian women have received military instruction or the formation of a new female military service.

Why Iran Is Expanding Civilian Preparedness

The centre has opened against a backdrop of heightened tensions and concern about the possibility of renewed attacks. The Associated Press connected the training camp to a nationwide effort to prepare civilians for a potential US ground operation. Al Jazeera similarly described the opening as taking place amid fears of renewed US attacks.

For Tehran, involving women in the campaign allows authorities to present national defence as a responsibility extending beyond the conventional military. It also provides a visible demonstration of mobilisation at a time when the country is seeking to signal readiness and resilience.

Nevertheless, the opening of a training centre should not be interpreted as evidence that women are being formally deployed in combat units or that a women-only army has been established. Publicly available accounts describe a volunteer training programme. Independent information about how many women will complete the courses, what roles they may later perform and whether they would be assigned operational duties remains limited.

What The Development Means

Iran’s women-only training centre is a notable expansion of its civilian mobilisation effort. It places women more visibly within the country’s public defence preparations and combines military-style instruction with emergency-response activities.

Its significance, however, lies in the expansion of volunteer preparedness rather than the creation of a separate army. Whether the programme develops into a larger, sustained role for women in Iran’s defence structure will depend on how the authorities organise the training and what responsibilities participants are eventually given.

Sources And Further Reading