TEHRAN – A large-scale Basij readiness exercise was held in Tehran on Thursday at the Imam Hossein Officers and Basij Training University, organized by the Hazrat Mohammad Rasulullah Corps of Greater Tehran.

The event brought together senior military officials, including IRGC Commander-in-Chief Major General Mohammad Pakpour and Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, deputy chief of the Armed Forces General Staff.

Officials from the Armed Forces General Staff, the Tehran IRGC command, and the Basij Organization were also present. Similar Basij drills were held in several other cities across the country as part of a nationwide show of force.

Basij presence ‘critical’ during 12-day war: IRGC chief

Addressing the ceremony, Major General Pakpour praised the performance of Basij forces during the recent 12-day conflict, saying their presence in security operations was “prominent and fully felt by the people.”

On June 13, 2025, the Israeli regime launched an unprovoked attack on Iranian territory, triggering a 12-day war that claimed the lives of well over 1,000 Iranians, including military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians. The United States also got involved in the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites. The stated justification for the aggression was to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, a claim for which neither Israel nor the U.S. provided any evidence.

Major General Pakpour opened his remarks by honoring a number of senior IRGC commanders and Basij figures killed in past operations, including martyrs Bagheri, Rashid, Hajizadeh, Shademani, Mohaqqeq, Kazemi, Rabbani and Mehrabi, as well as nuclear scientists and civilians killed in recent clashes. “We commemorate all those who attained the lofty rank of martyrdom alongside these great commanders,” he said.

Pakpour went on to recount the historical circumstances that led to the creation of the Basij in 1979, noting that the country was facing widespread separatist unrest in Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan, and regions in the north, south, and southwest. “The enemy imagined it could fragment our ethnic groups,” he said, “unaware that Kurds, Baluch, Turkmen and others are deeply attached to the Islamic Republic.”

Pakpour highlighted the role of local Sunni Basij forces—who make up roughly 80% of Basij members in some border areas—in countering terrorist groups operating from outside Iran.

The IRGC chief acknowledged that public expectations from both the IRGC and Basij have grown significantly as the forces have expanded their role beyond security, particularly in disaster relief.

“Today, whenever a flood, earthquake, or even bombardment occurs, it is the IRGC that rushes to help,” he said. “We enter the field with our own ranks, under the broad banner of the Basij.”

Pakpour stressed that this expanded role requires the Basij to increase its readiness across all domains. He also noted the visible deployment of Basij forces during the 12-day war, saying their presence at checkpoints and across major roads played an important role in maintaining security.

“The people warmly welcomed them, fully aware that these forces were there for their safety,” he added.

In Zahedan, IRGC Deputy Commander Ali Fadavi told a gathering of Basij members on Wednesday that the June clashes signaled “the defeat of the arrogance front,” referring to the United States and Israel. Fadavi described the confrontation as “the start of a new path,” claiming Washington moved to halt the fighting after Iran struck Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

In Mashhad, senior IRGC adviser Mohammadreza Naghdi delivered a hard-line message at another rally on Thursday, saying Basij forces oppose ending any future conflict without the “complete destruction of Israel.”

“If another battlefield opens, the Basij’s demand is that we must not stop the war without the total elimination of the Zionist regime,” he said.

Naghdi argued that Iran’s adversaries are now “in their weakest state” and insisted the Basij is prepared “to endure any hardship” in a wider confrontation.