Iran Recruits Children as Young as 12 for Basij Security Roles

In the midst of escalating airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian military sites, authorities in Tehran have begun recruiting children as young as 12 into paramilitary security roles, drawing widespread condemnation from human rights groups. The move, announced last week by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, aims to bolster patrols and checkpoints amid the ongoing conflict, which erupted in recent months and has targeted key facilities in cities including Tehran, Shiraz, and Isfahan.

The program, named Homeland Defending Combatants for Iran, lowers the minimum enlistment age for volunteers in the Basij militia, a force under IRGC command with an estimated one million members. IRGC official Rahim Nadali stated in a televised interview that the decision responded to demands from youths aged 12 and 13 to participate in duties such as staffing checkpoints, conducting patrols, and providing logistical support like medical care and damage assessments. Recruitment is taking place at mosques linked to Basij bases and public squares in Tehran.

Eyewitness accounts from Tehran, Karaj, and Rasht describe children and teenagers, some armed with rifles, stopping...