Iran Recruits More Child-Soldier to Defend the Islamic Regime

Young children carrying military-style weapons are seen during street parades conducted by military forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who provide military training to supporters in preparation for a potential conflict with the United States and Israel, on September 18, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

(photo credit: Meghdad Madadi ATPImages/Getty Images)

Children under the age of 15 will soon be offered training to join the Islamic Republic’s Janfada (self-sacrifice) campaign, the campaign’s spokesperson, Sasan Zare, confirmed to the Iranian Labour News Agency last week.

Acknowledging that individuals as young as 15 have already begun training, Zare said that, due to high demand, “special training appropriate for younger ages will also be arranged.”

Zare, however, asserted that only male children would be provided with training, while women would need to enlist after reaching the age of 18.

The planned recruitment of children comes despite international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, prohibiting the recruitment of minors under the age of 15 by both state armed forces and non-state armed groups. The Islamic Republic has nevertheless admitted to recruiting children as young as 12.

In March, Rahim Nadali, the cultural and artistic deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s Mohammad Rasoulollah Corps, told Iran’s Defa Press Agency that the minimum age for joining the homeland defense fighters was set at 12. Days after Nadali’s announcement, 11-year-old Alireza Jafari was killed at a military checkpoint, according to Iranian state media. The Basij Teachers Organization confirmed that the minor was killed “on duty.”