In a stark sign of wartime strain, Iran appears to be enlisting children as young as 12 for security roles at urban checkpoints, as confirmed by officials, eyewitnesses, and human rights groups amid the intensifying conflict with Israel.
The policy gained tragic visibility with the death of 11-year-old Alireza Jafari, killed alongside his father in what Hamshahri newspaper called an Israeli drone strike on 11 March. They were aiding Basij militia patrols to maintain the security of Tehran and its people.
Alireza’s mother, Sadaf Monfared, explained to the outlet that her husband cited a desperate manpower shortage, with only four people at the post, so he brought their son to prepare for the days ahead. She shared his haunting words, “Mum, either we win this war or we become martyrs. God willing, we will win, but I would like to become a martyr.”
An IRGC official in Tehran told Fars News Agency last week that the group would enrol volunteers aged 12 and above into the Homeland Defender Fighters for Iran programme, handling patrols and checkpoints via Basij mosques and rally sites. The Basij, the IRGC’s million-strong paramilitary force notorious for quashing protests like those in 2022 over Mahsa Amini, has faced Israeli strikes on its positions.
Despite internet restrictions, BBC witnesses reported children, some armed, at checkpoints in Tehran, Karaj, and Rasht. East Tehran’s Golnaz saw armed teens post-airstrike on 9 March. West Tehran’s Sara described a slight boy on 25 March. “He was holding a gun at the cars. He and the others were stopping cars and searching them. He was short and slight.”
Karaj’s Peyman noted a moustache-less teen with a Kalashnikov on 30 March, while Rasht’s Tina pitied masked youths. “They were wearing masks so their faces were covered. But it’s obvious that they are children. I can see it from their eyes.”
Human Rights Watch condemned it as a grave violation of children’s rights and a war crime for under-15s. Bill Van Esveld said, “There is no excuse for a military recruitment drive that targets children to sign up, much less 12-year-olds.”