Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets of Tehran on Friday in the largest state-organised demonstration since the war began in February.

Marching in combat uniforms, participants pledged readiness to take up arms under “Janfaday-e Iran” (“Those who sacrifice their lives for Iran”) – a government campaign to train citizens with assault rifles to reinforce the Revolutionary Guard and Basij militia.

Officials claim over 600,000 volunteers have registered, aiming to train over 1 million.

The rally featured military hardware displays – including anti-aircraft batteries and drones – as leaders sought to project national unity amid a crippling US naval blockade.

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence issued emergency alerts on Friday night warning of “potential danger” across key strategic and urban centres, including Jeddah, Taif in Mecca province, Khamis Mushait, and AlUla.

The alerts highlight growing domestic insecurity within the kingdom as the war expands along the Red Sea coast.

Earlier this week, Saudi air defence batteries intercepted an incoming Houthi drone south of Mecca – marking the first time emergency warning systems have ever been activated in the holy city.

With fighting intensifying in neighbouring Yemen, Saudi coalition forces have responded with over 300 retaliatory air strikes against Houthi targets to halt advances toward vital maritime routes.

US Central Command has redirected 105 commercial vessels attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports via the Strait of Hormuz, it says.

The total reflects an increase of one ship over the past 24 hours as US naval assets, including the USS Boxer amphibious ready group, maintain a heavy presence in the region.

Military tracking data shows that the blockade has effectively immobilised over 30 million barrels of Iranian crude within the Persian Gulf.

Outside the Gulf, an additional 60 million-plus barrels – valued at nearly $9 billion and carried aboard sanctioned vessels – continue to bypass direct interception but are being offloaded at a significantly reduced pace compared to normal operations.

The tightening naval perimeter continues to severely restrict Tehran’s maritime exports and hard currency revenues amid escalating regional conflict.

Yemen’s Ansar Allah – popularly termed the Houthis – say Saudi Arabia has carried out 26 air strikes on their positions over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of Saudi raids to 300 over the last week.

The barrage comes as fighting escalates between the group and Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government forces following a Houthi attempt to push toward the Red Sea coast.

Saudi forces have since intervened with heavy air support in an attempt to halt the advance and help government troops reclaim lost territory.

The revived civil war directly threatens critical maritime infrastructure along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the narrow southern entrance to the Red Sea through which millions of barrels of Saudi crude transit daily.

As early voting for the US midterm elections got underway in Virginia, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Idaho on Friday, the ongoing conflict with Iran emerged as a focal issue driving voters to the polls.

Voters casting early ballots cited the war as a primary motivation, reflecting broader national anxieties over prolonged foreign intervention and economic fallout.

In South Dakota, Diane Briest, whose son was disabled in Iraq, stated she voted Democratic due to fears of endless war, criticising Congress for failing to check executive authority.

In Virginia, conservative voter William Curry noted that while he largely supports President Trump, the administration is “in a mess he can’t get rid of” in Iran.

The conflict continues to intersect with domestic economic concerns, particularly rising gas prices and inflation triggered by Middle East instability and shipping disruptions in the Persian Gulf.

With control of Congress at stake, candidates on both sides are navigating heightened public scrutiny over the war’s financial and human costs.

More US service members have died during the war with Iran than the Pentagon has publicly disclosed, according to internal Defence Department casualty data cited by The Washington Post.

Six US officials familiar with internal casualty accounting revealed there have been at least 22 military fatalities — four more than the 18 deaths officially listed on the Pentagon’s public database. Five of the officials confirmed the higher toll.

The discrepancy highlights ongoing transparency concerns surrounding casualty reporting during the conflict. While the exact identities and circumstances behind the undisclosed fatalities remain unconfirmed, officials noted that not all omitted deaths were direct combat casualties, with some involving service members stationed in the region as hostilities escalated.

The Defence Department has not yet provided a public explanation for the gap between its internal records and public tracking systems.

Aid agency officials said the boost in celebrity attention from the Macklemore controversy could help bring more support to Gaza, where nearly all residents rely on aid for food, water, medical care and shelter.

“But what’s really most important is that people who have been so generous keep fighting over a sustained time,” said Toby Fricker, a local official with UNICEF.

“That’s why we really call for sustained support, not one-off peaks, but sustained.”

Hussein Murtaja, who runs a Gaza humanitarian group that provides mental health support to children, said Macklemore’s solidarity matters more than the money he donated.

”When artists of this stature, with this many followers or fans, all come to know more about the cause, and support reaching a political solution, support achieving peace for the people of Gaza… That means a great deal to us.”

Artists in Gaza have painted a mural of US rapper Macklemore wrapped in a Palestinian flag on a huge slab of concrete in the ruins of Gaza City, after the was kicked off Ed Sheeran’s upcoming tour for calling for a “Free Palestine”.

The mural, on a slab that leans against ruined buildings surrounded by rubble, depicts the “Thrift Shop”rapper raising a fist in the air.

”Thank you for using your voice for Palestine,”it reads.

”We wanted to send a message to thank rapper Macklemore in this simple way,” said Anne Redwan, 26, who designed and painted the mural with fellow artist Qusai al-Helo.

”As an artist living under siege here in Gaza, we are waiting for support from anyone who can see (the) persecution we live under,” she told Reuters.

“We can paint murals bigger than this to express our feelings.”

Macklemore, who has long supported Palestinian causes, was cut from British pop star Sheeran’s musical lineup over remarks on stage criticizing Israel’s military assault in Gaza, which was launched after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israel in October 2023.