2 ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz as Trump grapples with his next move

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rallied Friday in a government-choreographed display of national unity and resistance after months of war, pledging their readiness to take up arms in the biggest such demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked in February.

Iran staged a large-scale nationwide mobilization, involving participants from military and civilian groups, as the country faces mounting economic and social pressure from the war, and the threat of a major new offensive by President Trump.

Estimates vary of the number of people who have pledged to receive limited military training and defend the country in an effort described as "Janfaday-e Iran," or the "ones who sacrifice their lives for Iran."

Islamic Revolutionary Guard commander Gen. Hassan Hassanzadeh told state broadcaster IRNA that more than 600,000 people had registered to participate, with over 1 million expected to eventually take part in the training. IRNA estimated that more than 300,000 people had taken to the streets on Friday.

Some participants trampled flags of the U.S. and Israel. Others chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."

State media have encouraged Iranians to join the campaign for weeks, saying training with assault rifles will begin soon.

President Trump said Thursday that he is poised to make a "big decision" on whether to "annihilate" the Iranian regime.

"I have a big decision coming up," Mr. Trump told Axios . "Do I want to go in and annihilate them or do I not? It's a big decision. Anything could happen with me."

His comments came ahead of a planned meeting between Mr. Trump and Persian Gulf leaders expected to take place next week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

"I want to find out where they are and how they are doing. We have been very protective of them," Mr. Trump said of the Gulf states, many of which host American military forces and were targeted by Iran in retaliation for the war launched jointly by the U.S. and Israel at the end of February.

Asked whether he would meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week, too, Mr. Trump said, "I may."

A tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, causing a fire that was extinguished, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO).

"The CSO (company security officer) of a vessel has reported a tanker being hit by an unknown projectile, causing a fire onboard which has since been extinguished," the maritime monitor said, adding that the crew was safe, though the environmental impact of the attack was "unconfirmed."

In a statement to Iran's semi-official Mehr and Tasnim news agencies, the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to strike a Togo-flagged ship that was making "illegal crossing" of the Strait of Hormuz. It's unclear whether that incident is related to the one reported by UKMTO.