With a presence in nearly every city and town across Iran, the paramilitary Basij volunteer corps has an ever-increasing influence on life in the Islamic Republic. Authorities created the Basij, which means mobilization in Persian, just after the country's 1979 Islamic Republic. It is part of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard. Photo: In this Thursday, August 22, 2013 photo, a female member of the Basij paramilitary militia aims a rifle as a trainer looks over her shoulder in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo)

A U.S. army soldier exercises in front of a M270A1 multiple launch rocket system as they prepare for a live-fire training exercise of the 6-37th Field Artillery Regiment at a training area near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Cheorwon, South Korea, March 9, 2016. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

In this Sunday, March 5, 2017 photo, hospitality staff pose for photos on Tiananmen Square during the National People's Congress held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Photo by Andy Wong/AP Photo)

In this Sunday, March 5, 2017, photo, hospitality staff take souvenir photos in front of the Great Hall of the People where the National People's Congress is held in Beijing. (Photo by Andy Wong/AP Photo)

A 13-month-old chimp named Fumo carries a “Christmas present” of food treats in wrapping paper under his arm during a Christmas-themed feeding time at Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo, December 9, 2014. Fumo, meaning “chief” or “spear” in Swahili, is one of the latest additions to the zoo's successful primate breeding program. (Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters)

Belarussian rhythmic gymnast Melitina Staniouta takes a selfie as she has her make-up done in Minsk, May 29, 2016. Photos show her training and competing, as well as trying on her official Olympic uniform and getting ready for a photo shoot. (Photo by Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)

A tourist wearing Hanfu, a style of clothing traditionally worn by the Han people, poses for a photo with blooming cherry blossoms on International Women's Day on March 8, 2024 in Kunming, Yunnan Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Models present creations by Georgian designer Lasha Jokhadze during the Tbilisi Fashion Week in Tbilisi, Georgia, October 19, 2018. (Photo by David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters)