- Iran's Revolutionary Guards urged parents to send children to guard checkpoints amid conflict
- General Hossein Yekta called for minors to man checkpoints, linking it to becoming "real men"
- IRGC-affiliated groups recruit volunteers aged 12+ for security roles in Tehran and other cities
Iran's Revolutionary Guards have called on Iranian parents to send their children to guard the country's checkpoints, the latest instance of Tehran pushing minors to the frontline as war in the Middle East rages on. The call came hours before the deadline set by US President Donald Trump for a ceasefire deal, which expires at 3:30 am on Wednesday.
The call was made by General Hossein Yekta, linked to the Basij volunteer militia under Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), during a state television address.
"Moms, dads, take your kids hands and go out on streets," he said, according to an Associated Press report.
"Do you want your kid to become a real man? Let him feel like a hero standing right at the heart of the battlefield. Moms, dads, at night, send your kids to man checkpoints. They become men," he added.
Iran Recruiting Children For War
Last month, IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency reported that the organisation has called on "volunteers" aged 12 and above to enrol with the military in security roles in the capital and other cities. An 11-year-old reportedly died last month while manning a checkpoint in Tehran.
Rahim Nadali, of the IRGC's Greater Tehran Muhammad Rasulollah Corps, told the BBC at the time that the new programme, known as Homeland Defender Fighters for Iran, would place children on various duties, including patrols and deployment at checkpoints.
He said the children would be recruited at mosques attached to the Basij militia in Tehran and in city squares where pro-establishment rallies have been held.
The Basij is a volunteer militia controlled by the IRGC, with an estimated one million members. It is often deployed on the streets to suppress dissent. Basij checkpoints have been repeatedly targeted in US-Israeli airstrikes.
War Crimes Charges Against Iran
Amnesty International has warned that some even carry firearms, calling their recruitment a war crime. Recruiting children under 15 into the military constitutes a war crime, according to the advocacy group.
"As US and Israeli strikes hit thousands of IRGC sites, including Basij facilities, across the country, including through drone attacks targeting security patrols and checkpoints, the deployment of child soldiers alongside IRGC personnel or in their facilities puts them at grave risk of death and injury," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns.
