Iran Recruiting Child Soldiers As Young As 12

03/04/2026

LONDON (AP), Apr 3: Amnesty International has warned that Iran may be committing a war crime by recruiting children as young as 12 into the Basij, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, amid ongoing conflict involving the United States and Israel.

The rights group said eyewitness accounts and video analysis indicate that minors have been deployed at checkpoints and patrols, some reportedly carrying weapons. Amnesty warned that such practices expose children to grave risks as military strikes target security positions across the country.

A senior Amnesty official, Erika Guevara-Rosas, said the deployment of children alongside security forces places them at serious risk of death or injury, calling on authorities to end the practice immediately.