Iran has reportedly intensified its recruitment of children as young as 12 into military-linked roles associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to new findings from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International [1]. The reports highlight a campaign called 'Homeland Defending Combatants for Iran,' which has lowered the minimum recruitment age to 12 and encourages minors to enlist through mosques and the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary force under the IRGC [1]. These roles extend beyond support functions, involving operational patrols, checkpoint staffing, and intelligence activities, thereby placing children directly in harm's way as conflict escalates across Iran [1].
Amnesty International asserts that the recruitment and deployment of children under 15 constitutes a war crime, supporting its claims with verified visual evidence and eyewitness accounts [1]. The organization analyzed 16 photos and videos published since Saturday, depicting children carrying weapons, including AK-pattern rifles, and deployed alongside IRGC and Basij forces at checkpoints, on patrols, and during state-organized rallies in cities such as Tehran, Mashhad, and Kermanshah [1]. Amnesty also documented fatal consequences, including the death of 11-year-old Alireza Jafari at a checkpoint in Iran following an Israeli drone strike, as reported by his mother to the Iranian newspaper Hamshahri [1].
Eyewitnesses described children visibly struggling to handle weapons, with one account from Tehran noting a child at a checkpoint who appeared to be about 15 and struggling to breathe from the effort of lifting a gun [1]. Other witnesses in Karaj and Rasht reported seeing children holding Kalashnikov rifles, some appearing to be as young as 13, raising concerns about their ability to safely operate firearms [1]. Amnesty cited a video filmed on March 30 in Mashhad showing two children in Basij uniforms carrying assault rifles [1].
The reports suggest that the recruitment of minors is a response to manpower shortages amid intensifying U.S. and Israeli strikes, indicating a growing reliance on paramilitary forces to maintain domestic security [1]. This escalation increases the human cost of the conflict and exposes Iran to potential war crimes liability, according to rights groups and analysts [1].
CONCLUSION
The recruitment of children by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps signals mounting internal pressure and manpower shortages amid ongoing conflict. Rights groups warn of serious legal and humanitarian consequences, with Amnesty International labeling the deployment of minors as a war crime. The situation could heighten international scrutiny and impact Iran's standing in global markets.