Full Breakdown
Iranian State TV Broadcasts Weapons Training as IRGC Expands Child Recruitment
5/20/2026, 2:01:28 AM
Weapons Training on State TV and New Child Recruitment Drive
Iranian television (IRIB) has aired weapons-training shows demonstrating Kalashnikov rifles, PK machine guns, Dragunov sniper rifles and RPG-7s, including simulated shots at U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a live demonstration where a host fired at the flag of United Arab Emirates. The IRGC announced on 26 March a recruitment campaign lowering the enlistment age to 12, assigning children to checkpoint staffing, intelligence patrols and convoy security.
Background, Conflict and Key Actors
The programmes follow a war intensified after U.S.–Israeli strikes on Tehran on 28 February 2026, which killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s father. On 26 March 2026 IRGC announced a recruitment drive lowering the enlistment age to 12. Child recruitment has precedent from the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, when Basij mobilised hundreds of thousands of minors, causing tens of thousands of child deaths, per Human Rights Watch. Key actors: IRIB, IRGC and its Basij militia, Basij Teachers Organisation, and human-rights groups Hengaw, HRANA and Human Rights Watch.
Data and Statistics
The IRGC set the enlistment age at 12; Human Rights Watch estimates tens of thousands of child deaths in the 1980s conflict. Conscripting children under 15 violates Rome Statute, and Iran, a party to UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, is barred from recruiting under 18.
Official Statements
IRIB deputy head Mohsen Barmahani said media must adopt a war footing in a country fighting powers. IRGC deputy Rahim Nadali reported that 12- and 13-year-olds have volunteered for intelligence patrols and checkpoint duties, and IRGC released a poster showing children with adult soldiers.
Criticism and Opposition
Human Rights Watch warned the recruitment campaign “constitutes a grave violation of children's rights and a war crime when the children are under 15.” It cites Rome Statute and Iran’s obligations under UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
On-the-Ground Reports and Verification Gaps
Human-rights groups Hengaw and HRANA identified the deceased as 11-year-old Alireza Jafari, assigned to an IRGC checkpoint by his father. Basij Teachers Organisation confirmed the death, and his mother said teenagers as young as 15, younger, regularly serve at checkpoints. Euronews could not independently verify the incident.
Verbatim Quotes
- “In a wartime situation, and in a country that is simultaneously engaged in a struggle against all world powers and oppressions, it is only natural for the national media to adopt a war footing,” — Mohsen Barmahani, IRIB Deputy Head
- “The appearance of hosts with weapons in programs serves as a reminder of these teachings to the people,” — Mohsen Barmahani, IRIB Deputy Head
- “a grave violation of children's rights and a war crime when the children are under 15.” — Human Rights Watch
What's Next
Human-rights bodies are expected to examine Iran’s recruitment policy, and further investigations into child casualties at IRGC checkpoints may be launched as the conflict continues.
