Iranian state television IRIB has broadcast weapons training featuring simulated shots at President Trump and PM Netanyahu, and a host firing at the UAE flag. Programming includes live instruction on Kalashnikovs, PK machine guns, Dragunov sniper rifles, and RPG-7s. Footage also shows weapons training in mosques in Ahvaz, Kerman, Shiraz, and Zahedan, with men, women, and children volunteering to fight the US and Israel.
IRIB's deputy head Mohsen Barmahani defended the shift, stating it is natural for national media to adopt a war footing.
Human rights groups report an 11-year-old boy, Alireza Jafari, was killed by an Israeli drone strike while manning an IRGC checkpoint in Tehran. The IRGC launched a civilian recruitment campaign on March 26, setting the minimum enlistment age at 12. Rahim Nadali, an IRGC deputy in Tehran, confirmed children of 12 and 13 are used for intelligence patrols and checkpoint operations.
Human Rights Watch warns this recruitment is a grave violation of children's rights and a war crime for children under 15. Under the Rome Statute and UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, conscripting children under 15 is illegal; Iran is a signatory.