An 11-year-old boy named Alireza Jafari died in an airstrike while standing at a security checkpoint in Tehran with his father.
His mother later shared the heartbreaking story: the pair had gone out to help volunteer patrols keep the city safe during the fighting. There weren’t enough adults on duty that night — only four people at the post — so the father took his son along, telling him he needed to be ready for whatever lay ahead.
Alireza’s own words, remembered by his mother, still echo: “Mum, either we win this war or we become martyrs. God willing, we will win, but I would like to become a martyr.”That tragic loss has now shone a light on a new and worrying development inside Iran.
The authorities have launched a drive to recruit children aged 12 and older into security roles. The programme, run through the Basij volunteer militia, is placing young volunteers on patrols and at checkpoints across the capital and other cities.Ordinary Iranians who have spoken to reporters describe seeing teenagers — some still short and slight, some barely old enough to grow a moustache — standing at roadblocks with guns in their hands.
One woman in east Tehran watched armed teens after a recent strike. Another in west Tehran saw a boy stopping cars and searching them. In Karaj, a young man carrying a Kalashnikov was spotted on duty. In Rasht, children wearing masks stood alongside adult forces in a public square; passers-by said their eyes and height made it clear they were still kids.People describe a mix of pity and fear when they see them.
“I feel sorry for them and scared at the same time,” one woman said.The Basij, a large volunteer force controlled by the Revolutionary Guard, has long been used to maintain order on the streets. With the war stretching resources thin, officials have now openly called for school-age volunteers to help fill the gaps at checkpoints and during night patrols. Recruitment is happening at mosques and public squares where pro-government rallies take place.
Human rights campaigners have condemned the move as a serious breach of children’s rights. They warn that putting anyone under 15 into such roles during conflict crosses a dangerous line and amounts to a war crime. Experts say it also brings real risks: untrained young people under pressure, with limited experience and command, can easily make situations more dangerous for everyone around them.For many Iranians, the sight of children in uniform at checkpoints is a clear sign of how stretched the system has become.
The country is struggling to find enough adults willing to take on these duties, so it is turning to its youngest citizens instead.Families across Iran are living with the constant threat of strikes, blackouts, and uncertainty. Now, some are watching their own children step into harm’s way, whether out of duty, pressure, or a sense of patriotism. The death of little Alireza has become a painful symbol of just how far the conflict is reaching into everyday life — pulling even schoolboys out of their homes and onto the front lines of security.As the war continues, the images of masked young faces at checkpoints are likely to stay with people long after the fighting ends. They raise urgent questions about how far a country should go to protect itself when it starts asking its children to stand guard.