First Jan-Fada Volunteers to Deploy to Southern, Western Borders
TEHRAN -- The Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says it will soon establish volunteer battalions under the Jan-Fada (Self-Sacrificing) initiative, with organized groups expected to deploy to operational areas in southern and western Iran, in a move the force’s Tehran commander linked to popular demands and the country’s experience confronting foreign threats.
Brigadier General Hassan Hassanzadeh, commander of the Muhammad Rasulullah Corps in Tehran, announced the plan on Monday at the inauguration of a Jan-Fada training base in Tajrish Square.
He said the organization of battalions and units is being prepared in response to strong public interest, adding that the first convoys of volunteers are expected to be dispatched during Basij Week.
Hassanzadeh said the initiative is part of a broader effort to mobilize popular participation in national defense, stating that Iran’s ability to frustrate foreign calculations has repeatedly been demonstrated throughout its modern history.
He cited the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the 1980–88 war imposed on Iran as examples of repeated miscalculations by the United States and its allies. Washington, he said, has failed to anticipate the scale of popular support for the revolution and later underestimated Iran’s capacity to withstand the eight-year war.
The commander identified two principal reasons for the repeated surprise of Iran’s adversaries: persistent errors in their assessments of the country and the leadership’s strategic judgment and guidance.
He said that the United States and Israel once again miscalculated by launching direct attacks on Iranian territory, underestimating the willingness of the population to defend the country.
His remarks come against the background of reports that Washington and Tel Aviv considered using armed groups based in Iraqi Kurdistan to open a ground front inside Iran
during the U.S.-Israeli terrorist war.
A report published by The Washington Post in March said President Donald Trump had contacted Kurdish leaders and offered U.S. support, including air cover, for Kurdish forces seeking to seize territory in western Iran.
The report said the administration was exploring the groups as potential partners in efforts to encourage turmoil in Iran.
An investigation reported by Israel’s Channel 12 and subsequently covered by The Times of Israel described a plan involving Kurdish terrorists crossing into Iran, with the objective of triggering a wider rebellion. The reported operation did not materialize.
Reuters later reported that Kurdish militants based in Iraq ultimately stayed out of the war, citing Iranian military pressure, uncertainty over Washington’s intentions and the absence of a clear commitment of support.
Trump himself also publicly acknowledged that his administration had attempted to send firearms to rioters inside Iran through Kurdish intermediaries. Speaking to reporters at the White House on April 6, he said, “We sent guns, a lot of guns,” claiming that the weapons had been intended for people inside Iran but had been retained by those entrusted with delivering them. He repeated the allegation in subsequent remarks.
Against this backdrop, Hassanzadeh said Iran’s armed forces have responded to attacks across the air, sea and land domains, delivering a forceful response and correcting the enemy’s calculations. He maintained that Iran now holds the upper hand across all components of national power.
He also pointed to the scale of public participation in the Jan-Fada campaign, saying more than 33 million people have registered their readiness to serve.
He cited the organized participation of more than 450,000 Basij members and Jan-Fada volunteers at Tehran’s Enghelab Square as another demonstration of popular mobilization.
The planned battalion structure, he said, will translate that declared readiness into organized formations, with deployments to southern and western operational areas expected during Basij Week.
A report published by The Washington Post in March said President Donald Trump had contacted Kurdish leaders and offered U.S. support, including air cover, for Kurdish forces seeking to seize territory in western Iran.
The report said the administration was exploring the groups as potential partners in efforts to encourage turmoil in Iran.
An investigation reported by Israel’s Channel 12 and subsequently covered by The Times of Israel described a plan involving Kurdish terrorists crossing into Iran, with the objective of triggering a wider rebellion. The reported operation did not materialize.
Reuters later reported that Kurdish militants based in Iraq ultimately stayed out of the war, citing Iranian military pressure, uncertainty over Washington’s intentions and the absence of a clear commitment of support.
Trump himself also publicly acknowledged that his administration had attempted to send firearms to rioters inside Iran through Kurdish intermediaries. Speaking to reporters at the White House on April 6, he said, “We sent guns, a lot of guns,” claiming that the weapons had been intended for people inside Iran but had been retained by those entrusted with delivering them. He repeated the allegation in subsequent remarks.
Against this backdrop, Hassanzadeh said Iran’s armed forces have responded to attacks across the air, sea and land domains, delivering a forceful response and correcting the enemy’s calculations. He maintained that Iran now holds the upper hand across all components of national power.
He also pointed to the scale of public participation in the Jan-Fada campaign, saying more than 33 million people have registered their readiness to serve.
He cited the organized participation of more than 450,000 Basij members and Jan-Fada volunteers at Tehran’s Enghelab Square as another demonstration of popular mobilization.
The planned battalion structure, he said, will translate that declared readiness into organized formations, with deployments to southern and western operational areas expected during Basij Week.