Overview
- Amnesty International, which released findings Thursday, said verified videos and witnesses show armed children posted at checkpoints and on patrols in Iranian cities.
- IRGC official Rahim Nadali said on state TV that the new drive accepts volunteers 12 and up, with sign‑ups routed through Basij bases in mosques and added public booths.
- Reported assignments for these minors include checkpoint and patrol duties as well as logistics, distribution of supplies, cooking, basic medical help and other relief work.
- Amnesty cited the death of 11-year-old Alireza Jafari at a checkpoint while accompanying his Basij-member father, highlighting the risk as strikes hit IRGC facilities and patrols.
- Human Rights Watch noted Iran’s record of deploying underage fighters during the Iran–Iraq war and in Syria and said recruiting or using children under 15 is a war crime under international law.