Human rights organizations have reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is recruiting children as young as 12 years old for military-linked combat and patrol duties, according to findings released by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

The two prominent international human rights groups documented instances of minors being placed in frontline military roles by the Iranian paramilitary organization. The Revolutionary Guard Corps, known as the IRGC, is an elite branch of Iran's armed forces that operates separately from the country's regular military.

The recruitment of children under 18 for military purposes violates international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iran has signed, prohibits the recruitment and use of children under 15 in armed conflicts.

The IRGC has been involved in various regional conflicts, including supporting proxy forces in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. The organization also maintains domestic security responsibilities within Iran and operates the Basij militia, a volunteer paramilitary force.

Neither Human Rights Watch nor Amnesty International immediately provided specific details about the scope of the alleged recruitment or the exact roles these children are being assigned. Iran's government has not yet responded to the allegations made in the human rights groups' report.