Iran Guards recruiting children as young as 12, putting them on front lines of war

Iran is ramping up the recruitment of children arsenic young arsenic the property of 12 into military-linked roles tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to caller reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

The reports underscore mounting unit wrong Iran’s warfare effort. As U.S. and Israeli strikes intensify, rights groups and analysts accidental recruiting children points to manpower shortages and a increasing reliance connected paramilitary forces to clasp the location front. It besides escalates the quality outgo of the conflict, placing minors successful nonstop information portion exposing Iran to imaginable warfare crimes liability. 

Human Rights Watch said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched a run called "Homeland Defending Combatants for Iran," lowering the minimum recruitment property to 12 and encouraging minors to motion up successful mosques and done Basij, a unpaid paramilitary unit nether the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

The roles spell beyond enactment tasks and see "operational patrols," staffing checkpoints and quality activities, putting children straight successful harm’s mode arsenic warring intensifies crossed the country.

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Members of the Iranian revolutionary defender march during a parade. The IRGC is designated arsenic a overseas violent enactment by the State Department. A ample portion of its enactment is to covertly run extracurricular of Iran. (Reuters)

Amnesty International said the recruitment and deployment of children nether 15 "constitutes a warfare crime," and backed its findings with verified ocular grounds and eyewitness accounts.

The enactment analyzed 16 photos and videos published since Saturday, showing children carrying weapons, including AK-pattern rifles, and deployed alongside Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij forces astatine checkpoints, connected patrols and during state-organized rallies successful Iranian cities including Tehran, Mashhad and Kermanshah.

Amnesty besides documented the fatal consequences. On Sunday, 11-year-old Alireza Jafari was killed astatine a checkpoint successful Iran portion accompanying his father, a Basij member, the radical said. Authorities said helium was killed "while serving" pursuing an Israeli drone strike.

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Iranian soldiers instrumentality portion successful a subject parade during a ceremonial marking the country's yearly service time connected April 17, 2024, successful Tehran, Iran. (Getty Images)

According to Amnesty, the boy’s parent told the Iranian paper Hamshahri that her hubby had reported a shortage of unit astatine checkpoints and took their 2 sons with him. She said helium told their lad helium "must get prepared for the days ahead," adding that children arsenic young arsenic 15 and 16 are commonly progressive successful checkpoint duties.

Eyewitness accounts reviewed by Amnesty picture children visibly struggling to grip weapons. One idiosyncratic successful Tehran wrote:

On March 25, "I saw a kid astatine a checkpoint adjacent our location … I deliberation helium was astir 15… It seemed similar helium was struggling to respire from the effort of lifting the gun."

Another witnesser successful Karaj, Iran, reported seeing a kid "holding a Kalashnikov rifle," portion a 3rd successful Rasht said immoderate appeared to beryllium "13 years aged astatine most," informing they could "fire randomly."

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Children question Iranian flags during a ceremonial celebrating the 40th day of the Islamic Revolution, astatine the Azadi, Freedom, Square successful Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 11, 2019. 

In 1 video cited by Amnesty, filmed March 30 successful Mashhad, Iran, 2 children wearing Basij uniforms and balaclavas were seen carrying battle rifles portion positioned connected a moving conveyance during a state-organized rally, elevated supra a cheering crowd.

The recruitment run itself has been promoted done authoritative channels, including posters depicting children alongside equipped adults nether the slogan "Basij with people, for people," accompanied by a punctuation attributed to Iran’s Supreme Leader calling for Basij forces to stay cardinal to the revolution.

Iranian officials person defended the argumentation by pointing to what they picture arsenic beardown request among teenagers.

In a televised interrogation with Iranian authorities media, IRGC authoritative Rahim Nadali said the minimum property was acceptable astatine 12 due to the fact that "teenagers and the younker repeatedly person travel and said that they privation to instrumentality part." 

"There is nary excuse for a subject recruitment thrust that targets children to motion up, overmuch little 12-year-olds," Human Rights Watch’s Bill Van Esveld said.

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Iranian schoolboys deterioration Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) subject uniforms and outcry anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans during a ceremonial marking the 47th day of the triumph of Iran's Islamic Revolution astatine the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini successful the Behesht-e Zahra cemetery successful confederate Tehran, Iran, connected Feb. 1, 2026 (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The reports travel arsenic the United Nations classifies the recruitment of children successful equipped struggle arsenic a "grave violation," with planetary instrumentality prohibiting the enlistment of children nether 15 and mounting 18 arsenic the modular for information successful hostilities.