Iranians urged via SMS to join national defence amid threat of US strike

A text message campaign is calling on Iranians to volunteer to defend the country against a threatened U.S. ground operation, according to copies of messages seen by The Associated Press.

One message declared “a national campaign for those willing to sacrifice their lives,” with a link to register “to defend the country’s territory.” A second similar text message suggested volunteers would soon see “deployment.”

It wasn’t immediately clear if the messages were sent by a government body.

There have been multiple text message campaigns within Iran, either encouraging people to join pro-government forces or threatening those who would stand against them. Some are clearly from the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, while the source of others is more obscure.