Iran Accused of Recruiting Children as Young as 12 to Fight US Forces
The Iranian regime has launched a new campaign that "shamelessly" encourages children as young as 12 to join the war effort against US troops, according to warnings from leading human rights organisations. This development occurs as Iran faces sustained military attacks from the United States and Israel, following a joint assault on February 28 that resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Disturbing Promotional Material and Verified Evidence
Human Rights Watch reports that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has disseminated disturbing promotional material as part of a campaign titled "Homeland Defending Combatants for Iran." A poster circulated by Iran's Defa Press News Agency depicts two young children, a boy and a girl, smiling alongside a uniformed figure. Amnesty International has verified images that appear to show children holding AK-pattern assault rifles and standing with IRGC forces at checkpoints and on patrol.
Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International, stated, "The Iranian authorities are shamelessly encouraging children as young as 12 to join an IRC-run military campaign, putting them in grave danger and violating international law, which prohibits the recruitment and use of children in the military." She emphasised that recruiting children under 15 into armed forces constitutes a war crime.
Roles and Responsibilities of Child Recruits
Details emerging about the roles suggest children could be directly involved in security operations. According to Agence France-Presse, duties include:
- Staffing checkpoints
- Gathering intelligence
- Carrying out patrols
- Support roles such as cooking and providing medical care
- Assisting in the aftermath of damage to homes
Rahim Nadali, an official from the IRGC's 27th Mohammad Rasulullah Division, claimed that young people have actively demanded involvement. Referring to the US as a global bully, he said, "For the Basij checkpoints that you see across cities now, we have had many young people and teenagers demanding to be present in them. Given the ages that were making demands, we have set the [minimum] age at 12. Meaning now there are kids of 12 and 13 who want to be present in this space."
Historical Context and Recent Allegations
Human Rights Watch has previously documented that Afghan children living in Iran were deployed to support the Assad government during the Syrian war, with boys as young as 14 among those killed. Iranian officials have acknowledged using large numbers of child soldiers during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Amnesty International estimates that more than 550,000 children were sent to the frontlines during that conflict, with at least 36,000 killed.
More recently, during protests in 2022, images circulated on social media appearing to show children wearing helmets and carrying riot shields, raising concerns about their use in internal security operations. Allegations have also surfaced regarding minors being used in operations beyond Iran's borders. In May 2024, Swedish authorities reported foiling a plot involving a 15-year-old boy targeting the Israeli embassy in Stockholm. Three teenagers linked to an October 2024 shooting at an office of Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems in Gothenburg were later convicted, with one suspect accused of opening fire being only 13 years old, below the age of criminal responsibility under Swedish law.
