Iran organizes mass weddings for couples who are said to have “sacrificed” in the war with the US

Iranian authorities have held several public weddings in Tehran for couples who are said to have signed up for a state-sponsored program that declares they are ready to sacrifice their lives for the country. war with the US and Israel.

Celebrations held late Monday involved hundreds of couples in several major venues in the capital, including more than 100 in Imam Hossein's main square in central Tehran, according to Iranian media reports.

They were broadcast on state television in an effort to boost morale during the war, with the President Trump has repeatedly threatened new military action against Iran amid a shaky ceasefire that halted the war that began with a wave of joint US-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.

Those involved had signed up, according to the Iranian state media, in a program called “sacrifice”, where people promise to put their lives on the line in the war by, for example, building human chains outside electrical stations.

Iranian authorities say millions of people, including senior figures such as parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and President Masoud Pezeshkian, have put their names forward.

It is part of the government's wider campaign to show unity and national preparedness, and on Monday, tents were also set up in different areas of Tehran where members of the military were teaching the use of basic weapons.

For this wedding, the couple arrived at Imam Hossein Square wearing military uniforms with rifles rolled up and got married on stage in a ceremony presided over by a priest, AFP photos showed.

The stadium was filled with balloons and a large picture of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to appear in public since he was promoted to this position after his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei was killed on the first day of the war.

“Of course the country is at war, but young people also have the right to marry,” said a young woman wearing a white Islamic dress, who has not been named, next to her son-in-law in a video published by the Mehr news agency.

A man wearing a black suit, next to his bride, said they were happy with the ceremony to commemorate the marriage of Imam Ali, who is respected by the majority of Shiite Muslims in Iran, and Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed.

“We received their blessings. In addition, we came to convey good wishes to the people living on the streets,” he said.

Mehr said 110 couples participated in the Imam Hossein square ceremony alone. AFP photos showed crowds of well-wishers holding roses and watching.

Since the start of the war, Iranian authorities have held large pro-government rallies almost daily in an effort to highlight mass mobilization amid the conflict.