Thousands of fighters linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps paraded with heavy weapons and vehicles through the streets of Tehran on Friday showing their readiness to face "threats".
The parade by paramilitary Basij volunteers comes after the weakening of Iran's allies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, during wars with Israel. It also follows last month's toppling by Islamist-led rebels of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, whom Tehran also supported.