14 million Iranians sign up to defend country hours before Trump’s deadline expires

More than 14 million Iranians have said they are ready to give their lives to defend the country in the war against the United States and Israel, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X on Tuesday.

“Over 14 million proud Iranians have, up to this moment, declared their readiness to sacrifice their lives in defense of Iran,” he wrote. “I, too, have been, am, and will remain devoted to sacrificing my life for Iran.”

The defiant warning came hours before the US President Donald Trump’s deadline was set to expire for launching massive strikes on civilian infrastructure across Iran. Trump has given Iran until 20:00 ET on Tuesday (6am Wednesday Dhaka time) to reach a ceasefire deal under his own terms and lift its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, an act that has sent global energy prices soaring.

The negotiations are still continuing but there is still little sign of concrete improvement. Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said Islamabad’s “positive and productive” efforts to end the war are “approaching a critical, sensitive stage.”

“Stay Tuned for more,” Reza Amiri Moghadam said in a post to X Tuesday.

Amid the uncertainty over truce and Tehran’s continued reluctance to meet Trump’s excessive terms, Iran is gearing up for the threatened US-Israeli onslaught.

Iran’s call to citizens to arm up is part of the “Janfada (Sacrificing Life) for Iran” campaign, which began at the start of the Iran war last month and is aimed at garnering national unity.