<div id="readability-page-1"><div><figure><div><div><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/j4agrQuyHIuDkekikPBBEQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/2390e2337f70876d7ac9763ad4fd0e0f?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="960" height="540" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/j4agrQuyHIuDkekikPBBEQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/2390e2337f70876d7ac9763ad4fd0e0f"/></p></div></div><p></p><figcaption>A young boy holds a plastic gun during a military parade in Tehran, Iran, on April 17, 2026. - Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Getty Images</figcaption><p></p></figure><p>As night falls over Iran’s sprawling capital, and the snowy peaks of the Alborz mountains fade into the darkness, thousands of Iranians have been routinely taking to the streets for state-sponsored rallies aimed at mobilizing supporters against the United States.</p><p>Near Tajrish Square, an upscale neighborhood of Tehran, the inevitable chanting of “Death to America” blares out over a sea of Iranian flags, while street vendors hawk tea and souvenirs, like patriotic baseball caps and patches, to the enthusiastic crowd.</p><p>“I am so ready to sacrifice my life for my country and for my people,” one young woman named Tiana, wearing glasses in the colors of the Iranian flag, told me above the deafening chants.</p><figure><div><div><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/E_cdPou7yiuPNlsGpT_G2A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/8c58ee2bd3ef00a4eb40bdc3d350188e?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="960" height="540" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/E_cdPou7yiuPNlsGpT_G2A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/8c58ee2bd3ef00a4eb40bdc3d350188e"/></p></div></div><p></p><figcaption>Women hold rifles during a National Army Day demonstration in Tehran, Iran, on April 17, 2026. - Majid Saeedi/Getty Images</figcaption><p></p></figure><p>“All the people, the whole army, all commanders that we have, they’re ready to sacrifice their lives too, and ready to fight with their whole heart and soul,” she added, dismissing US President Donald Trump’s latest social media threat to resume military action.</p><p>“For Iran, the clock is ticking, and they better get moving, fast, or there won’t be anything left of them,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, further ratcheting up tensions as stalled peace talks undermine a fragile ceasefire.</p><p>One elderly man carrying a makeshift placard offered to translate his sign, hand-written in Farsi. “Nuclear and missile technology is as important as our borders, so we will protect them,” it read.</p><p>“We need nuclear power, clean energy, not a bomb,” he told me, a reference to Iran’s refusal to end its controversial nuclear program, which Trump has made a condition for ending the war.</p><p>“Trump knows we don’t have a bomb, but he is attacking us anyway,” he added.</p><figure><div><div><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/W4qheckkQ.qmfDDrCYf3dw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/dc7a20501d6117b63a684aed591fc185?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="960" height="540" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/W4qheckkQ.qmfDDrCYf3dw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/dc7a20501d6117b63a684aed591fc185"/></p></div></div><p></p><figcaption>An Iranian police officer stands guard on an armored vehicle as government supporters participate in a state-run religious rally in Tehran, Iran, on April 29, 2026. - Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Getty Images</figcaption><p></p></figure><p>As swirling rumors and escalating fears mount of imminent US-Israeli strikes, there is a growing sense of inevitability among many Iranians about the resumption of hostilities.</p><p>“We know this war isn’t over. We know Trump is not really going to negotiate,” said Fatima, who said she grew up in London and Dubai.</p><p>“He’s just going to be, like, ‘You do what I tell you or I’m going to kill you.’ And then he’s going to attack us even if we do as he says,” she added.</p><p>The rallies, or “night-gatherings” have been taking place across the country every evening for nearly three months, essentially since the start of the war.</p><p>But recent days have seen the ominous appearance of public gun kiosks, where civilians are being offered basic lessons in using weapons – a sign of how the hardening Iranian authorities are readying people for further conflict.</p><figure><div><div><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Kfi8O2daDNsxpRA5_D61tw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/ae4f019493fa4d782f5dc1dd7eacda69?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="960" height="540" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Kfi8O2daDNsxpRA5_D61tw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/ae4f019493fa4d782f5dc1dd7eacda69"/></p></div></div><p></p><figcaption>An Iranian military personnel shows people how to use a gun at a booth in Hafte Tir Square, in Tehran, Iran, on May 17, 2026. - AFP/Getty Images</figcaption><p></p></figure><figure><div><div><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/b945nI9OWBe8Il5C3ddtgQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/5e089f6e20aba07461e28cf78fd327e8?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="960" height="540" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/b945nI9OWBe8Il5C3ddtgQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/5e089f6e20aba07461e28cf78fd327e8"/></p></div></div><p></p><figcaption>Participants learn how to hold a weapon at Hafte Tir Square, in Tehran, Iran on May 17, 2026. - AFP/Getty Images</figcaption><p></p></figure><p>At one kiosk in Vanak Square, we saw a woman dressed in a black chador being learning how to handle an AK-47 assault rifle, with a masked man in military fatigues showing her how to strip and assemble the weapon.</p><p>A few feet away, a small girl played with an unloaded Kalashnikov, aiming the weapon into the air before pulling the trigger and handing the gun back to her smiling instructor.</p><p>The general call to arms is also being reiterated on state television, with several channels broadcasting their hosts brandishing assault rifles.</p><p>One male anchor, Hossein Hosseini, on the state-run Ofogh channel, fired his rifle – on live television – into the studio ceiling after receiving a lesson from a masked member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC.</p><figure><div><div><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/kLhNdILl1vZ8H7PnNiSUww--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/5b2fad5c9774ea83bf0d47d38d623a2e?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="960" height="540" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/kLhNdILl1vZ8H7PnNiSUww--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/5b2fad5c9774ea83bf0d47d38d623a2e"/></p></div></div><p></p><figcaption>State television presenter Hossein Hosseini fires a weapon live on air during a Kalashnikov training session on May 15, 2026. - Twitter/Sohheiill</figcaption><p></p></figure><figure><div><div><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/i3I9p.cQd_JRvJbXQWh9Pw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/b0d180c0e38d14432109dc7c2d0fcfd8?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="960" height="540" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/i3I9p.cQd_JRvJbXQWh9Pw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/cnn_articles_875/b0d180c0e38d14432109dc7c2d0fcfd8"/></p></div></div><p></p><figcaption>Television presenter Mobina Nasiri appears on air with a gun she says was sent to her by people in Vanak Square. - IRIB</figcaption><p></p></figure><p>Separately, a female Channel-3 presenter, Mobina Nasiri, addressed viewers while grasping an assault rifle with both hands.</p><p>“They sent me a weapon from Vanak Square so that I too, like all of you people, can learn how to use it,” she announced.</p><p>But not all Iranians are gunning for a fight.</p><p>Just around the corner from the rally on Tajrish Square, in a tranquil park near the Cinema Museum of Iran, locals perused an open-air book stall and sipped tea, while couples strolled hand in hand.</p><p>“No to war,” said one young man as he passed by.</p><p>Sitting on a park bench with her husband, one woman, a university professor who asked not to be identified, told me how they both desperately wanted Iran to change.</p><p>“We just want to live in a normal country, where our children can have a future,” she whispered in English.</p><p>“We want peace,” a young woman said, further hinting at the diversity of opinion in Iran.</p><p>But with the mood in the Islamic Republic increasingly tense, and the country potentially on the brink of a resumption of war, all but the hardline official messaging seems to be drowned out.</p><p><span>EDITOR’S NOTE:</span>  CNN operates in Iran with the permission of the government but maintains full editorial control of its reports.</p><p>For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com</p></div></div>

On May 10, Trump tweeted angrily declaring Iran's latest response "completely unacceptable." Iran, through Pakistan, proposed an immediate ceasefire and the lifting of the naval blockade, while the US insists that Iran suspend uranium enrichment and restore passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The two sides remain fundamentally opposed. Do you think there's any possibility of breaking this deadlock?

<p>On May 10, Trump tweeted angrily declaring Iran's latest response "completely unacceptable." Iran, through Pakistan, proposed an immediate ceasefire and the lifting of the naval blockade, while the US insists that Iran suspend uranium enrichment and restore passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The two sides remain fundamentally opposed. Do you think there's any possibility of breaking this deadlock?</p>

US-Iran deadlock returns — is a ceasefire still possible?

<p>As tensions escalate between Iran and the U.S., state-sponsored rallies in Tehran feature chants against America and displays of military readiness. Citizens, including women and children, are participating in military training and learning to handle weapons. President Trump's threats of renewed military action have intensified fears of conflict, with many Iranians expressing skepticism about negotiations. The government is promoting a culture of preparedness for war, as evidenced by public gun kiosks and military demonstrations on state television.</p>

- On April 17, 2026, a massive rally in Tehran showcased public support against the U.S., with slogans like "Down with America."  
- Tensions rose following threats from former U.S. President Donald Trump, while reports indicated increasing military preparedness among Iranian citizens, including firearms training events.  
- Despite a prevailing atmosphere of hostility, some Iranians expressed a desire for peace and normalcy amidst escalating conflicts and government calls for armed readiness.

Guns on the television and in Iran’s streets as Trump renews war threats