Iran is putting children in its armed forces and mobilizing every resource it has in case the United States launches a ground invasion, according to a new report.
The mass recruitment taking place is the largest effort since Iran and Iraq fought a 1980s war, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The United States has sent thousands of troops to the Middle East who could land on any Iranian territory that President Donald Trump wishes to hold. Trump has neither said he will put troops on Iranian soil nor that he will never do so.
The Journal cited an unnamed Iranian official as indicating that Kharg Island, Iran’s oil export center, is being covered with mines and booby traps.
Tunnels that would allow for the movement of Iranian troops and the heavy use of drones are also expected to factor in any Iranian defense, the Journal wrote.
“Iran intends to make any U.S. landing as costly and politically unsustainable as possible,” Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at London-based think tank Chatham House. “I expect Iran will try to swarm and inflict pain through drones first and then widening its retaliation to its neighbors.”
Iran can put about a million people in uniform, including about 190,000 members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — the core of Iran’s armed forces.
The Journal noted that familiarity with the terrain could offset the deficits most Iranians have in training and firepower.
Iran is trying to expand its military with a recruiting drive dubbed “Sacrifice” that is seeking fighters as young as 12.
“Given the enthusiastic welcome of the dear people, we decided to create an environment where all interested parties can play a role in defending the homeland based on their expertise and capabilities,” Rahim Nadali, the Revolutionary Guard’s deputy director for Culture and Arts, said.
The use of child soldiers has brought condemnation upon Iran.
Recruiting 12-year-olds as “homeland defending combatants” is a war crime, according to Human Rights Watch.
“There is no excuse for a military recruitment drive that targets children to sign up, much less 12-year-olds,” Bill Van Esveld, associate children’s rights director at Human Rights Watch, said.
“What this boils down to is that Iranian authorities are apparently willing to risk children’s lives for some extra manpower,” he said.
The IRGC said that children could serve in non-combat roles and could serve at checkpoints, in convoys, and as part of intelligence and operational patrols.
“The Iranian authorities are shamelessly encouraging children as young as 12 to join an IRGC run military campaign, putting them in grave danger and violating international law, which prohibits the recruitment and use of children in the military. Recruiting children under 15 into the armed forces constitutes a war crime,” Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International, said.
“As US and Israeli strikes hit thousands of IRGC sites, including Basij facilities, across the country, including through drone attacks targeting security patrols and checkpoints, the deployment of child soldiers alongside IRGC personnel or in their facilities puts them at grave risk of death and injury,” she said.
“Iranian authorities must immediately stop their criminal assault on children’s rights and prohibit the recruitment of anyone under 18 by the armed forces,” she said.
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