Israel welcomes UNICEF’s rebuke of Tehran’s child recruitment

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Monday welcomed what it described as a belated condemnation by UNICEF of Iran’s recruitment of children into its military.

“We appreciate that UNICEF is at last acknowledging the Iranian regime’s appalling recruitment of children into its insane war machine—a barbaric violation that demands clear condemnation and urgent action,” the ministry tweeted on Monday.

The United Nations group had tweeted on April 4: “UNICEF has received reports of mobilization campaigns in Iran that include children, and of children working at checkpoints. We call on the Islamic Republic of Iran to stop any recruitment of children. Recruitment and use of children by armed forces or groups is a grave violation of children’s rights.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps lowered the minimum age for participation in war-support roles to 12, a senior official acknowledged on state television in late March, according to Iran International.

Rahim Nadali, a cultural official in the IRGC’s Tehran branch, said an initiative called “For Iran” has been recruiting participants to assist in activities such as patrols, checkpoints and logistics. He added that most of the minors are being directed to the Basij paramilitary militia, which is responsible for suppressing opposition to the regime.