U.S. State Department: Iranian Regime Has Exploited Children in War

In its latest Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report for 2026, the U.S. Department of State addresses the Islamic Republic’s policy of recruiting and utilizing child soldiers.

The report, released on Thursday, October 8, 2026, covers the Islamic Republic’s actions from April 2025 to April 2026, encompassing the crackdown and killings of protesters during the past winter’s unrest.

Human trafficking within Iran forms a central component of the report, confirming that the Islamic Republic has exploited Iranian children as well as Afghan, Pakistani, and Syrian migrant minors for its military goals and operational activities.

According to the report, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “recruited and deployed young children as soldiers and provided support to non-state armed groups that forcibly recruit and use child soldiers.”

The State Department further noted that Islamic Republic officials, including IRGC and Basij commanders, continue to “forcibly recruit” Afghan migrant children, Pakistani and Syrian nationals, and Iranian minors into armed groups active across the region.

Numerous reports had previously documented the presence of minors within Basij paramilitary forces during protest suppression operations, particularly on January 7 and 8, 2026, as well as during prior waves of demonstrations across various Iranian cities.

The U.S. State Department highlighted an IRGC recruitment drive launched in April 2026 that targeted children as young as 12 to volunteer as “defenders of the homeland.”

During that campaign, military commanders distributed promotional posters stating that the drive aimed to recruit civilians for “cooking and medical services, logistics distribution, repair of damaged housing, as well as security duties such as manning checkpoints, operational and intelligence patrols, and vehicle escorts.”

A promotional poster for the campaign, published by Defa Press, featured an image of a teenage boy and girl alongside two adults, including a man in military uniform.

Under international human rights law, recruiting and utilizing children in military capacities constitutes a severe child rights violation, while the recruitment of children under 15 is classified as a war crime.

The U.S. State Department confirmed that the IRGC and Basij deployed migrant, refugee, and Iranian children to participate in combat operations under IRGC-commanded militias in Syria.

Additionally, the report documented that the Islamic Republic provides material support to the Houthis, a non-state armed group in Yemen known to recruit and deploy child soldiers.

The report also addressed impunity for Islamic Republic officials, particularly military commanders overseeing trafficking-related crimes, including the forced recruitment and deployment of children and adults in regional armed conflicts.

According to the State Department, reports also indicate that the Islamic Republic has issued orders for the deployment of child soldiers and forced labor within prisons. Consequently, Iran remains designated as “Tier 3” in the 2026 Trafficking in Persons report.