Reports: Growing Use of Children in Iran Security Roles Raises Concerns

What happened

Iran International reports that citizens across multiple Iranian provinces have described the increasing deployment of children and teenagers, some as young as 10 to 12 years old, in security-related roles including manning checkpoints and participating in military-themed public events. These accounts include claims of minors handling weapons and attending state-organized military training sessions, amid widespread economic hardship.

Outside Brief is treating this as a source-led account. Any disputed responsibility, casualty figure or battlefield claim should be read as unconfirmed/hearsay unless confirmed by another reliable source. Messages collected by Iran International describe checkpoints run by children under 16 holding flashlights or rifles in areas such as Shahriar near Tehran, Bastak in Hormozgan province, and Kelardasht in Mazandaran. This use reportedly includes distribution of food and payments to public gatherings intended to project strength, while children are actively involved in security duties.

The involvement of minors in military activities in Iran has historical precedent dating to the Iran-Iraq War, when teenage boys were mobilized for front-line service, with continued military-oriented education through Basij student groups and ‘Defensive Readiness’ school classes since then. Critics argue this current trend risks normalizing violence and militarization among youth, potentially recruiting ideologically aligned future security personnel.

Known from the source

• Reports from citizens to Iran International describe minors, some aged 10 to 12, involved in checkpoint duties and military-themed events.
• Children reportedly handle weapons in state-sponsored gatherings in multiple Iranian provinces, including Tehran, Hormozgan, and Mazandaran.
• Iran has historically mobilized youth for military purposes and runs military-oriented educational programs through Basij groups.
• Iran is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits child involvement in military activities.
• Economic hardship is cited by some sources as a context for the broader social environment in which these practices occur.

What remains unclear

Iran is a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which mandates protection against child involvement in military activities. Human rights advocates view the reports of children’s presence at checkpoints and military displays in public and educational spaces as part of a broader and concerning trend toward militarization of public life and normalization of weapons in children’s environments.

What remains unclear: Verifying the scale and official sanction of children's involvement in checkpoints and military activities described. Confirming that children are actively handling weapons as claimed. Assessment of any official Iranian government response to these reports. Verification of the specific economic data cited in relation to security policy changes.

Evidence note

Outside Brief has kept this brief source-led and attributed. Claims should be read alongside the original source linked below.

Original source: Iran International. Open the source.