Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call from Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani to discuss Iran’s attack targeting Bahrain, the Saudi foreign ministry said on Thursday.
The Saudi foreign minister condemned the attack and said Riyadh fully supported Bahrain and the measures it takes to protect its security, territorial integrity and citizens.
The two ministers also discussed regional developments and joint coordination to preserve security and stability, the ministry said.
Children in military-style uniforms and riot gear stand at a checkpoint in Iran. Image quality has been enhanced using AI.
Iranian authorities are continuing to use children in security-related activities, including checkpoints and participating in military-themed programs, according to messages sent by citizens to Iran International.
Accounts from several provinces described children and teenagers taking part in checkpoint operations and handling weapons at state-sponsored gatherings, despite international conventions that call on governments to keep minors away from military and security activities.
“Recession, inflation, poverty and hardship are rampant, and this is a sign of economic collapse,” a resident of Fereydunkenar, north of Iran, said. “They have set up checkpoints with children aged 10 to 12 and gather people around city squares with food and payments to show strength.”
A resident of Tehran province described what he said was the growing presence of minors at checkpoints in Shahriar, near Tehran.
A child dressed in a military-style uniform attends a public gathering in Iran.
“Almost all the checkpoints in Shahriar are run by children under 16 holding flashlights. It is truly absurd,” the resident wrote.
Military training at public gatherings
Citizens also described state-organized events where children were given access to firearms and military training activities.
A resident of Tehran said children had been deployed at checkpoints during public events and that authorities had also set up stations distributing tea and refreshments.
Similar accounts emerged from other parts of the country.
“At the entrance to Bastak in Hormozgan province, they hand rifles to children every night,” one resident said.
Another citizen from Kelardasht in Mazandaran province reported seeing children being taught how to handle weapons.
Long history of youth mobilization
The use of minors in military and security-related activities has a long history in the Islamic Republic.
During the Iran-Iraq War, thousands of teenagers were sent to the front lines, and many were killed in military operations. In the decades that followed, military-oriented instruction continued through school programs such as “Defensive Readiness” classes and student Basij activities.
File photo showing a child at the front line during the Iran-Iraq War.
Student Basij organizations and university Basij branches have for years operated within educational institutions, recruiting young people into structures linked to the security establishment.
Human rights advocates argue that linking formal education with military and paramilitary activities risks normalizing violence and militarization among children and adolescents.
Iran is a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires states to protect children from involvement in military activities and provide a safe environment for their development and education.
Expansion of military imagery
The reports coincide with a broader increase in the public display of military equipment across Iran.
In recent months, images have circulated showing missiles, military hardware, Revolutionary Guards speedboats and light and heavy weapons displayed in public spaces, schools, state-organized gatherings and media programs.
Child rights advocates view such measures as part of a wider effort to normalize the presence of weapons in children's daily lives and to militarize public space.
The growing involvement of children and teenagers in government-organized activities, checkpoints and military programs may also reflect efforts to cultivate future generations of ideologically aligned supporters and security personnel, according to critics of the policy.
A Norwegian teenager went on trial in London on Thursday on accusations of traveling to Britain to carry out a contract killing for a Swedish criminal network allegedly linked to Iran.
Prosecutors at the Old Bailey said 19-year-old Johannes Natland flew from Norway to Britain in March 2024 after agreeing to kill an unidentified target for money.
They alleged Natland was recruited by the Foxtrot Network, a Swedish organized crime group connected to dozens of violent crimes in Sweden.
Prosecutor Alistair Richardson said the network had been used by the Iranian government.
Police arrested Natland in a hotel room in Huddersfield in northern England, where they found a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and live ammunition, prosecutors said.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said the United States and what he called the global imperialism is opposed to Iran’s “distinct and unyielding identity,” casting the conflict with Washington a confrontation over the nature of the Iranian nation rather than only military or diplomatic disputes.
“The system of domination, led by America, has a problem with this nation and its distinct and unyielding identity,” said a message read out on Khamenei’s behalf marking the anniversary of the death of Islamic Republic founder Ruhollah Khomeini.
He said the United States and Israel could not accept the existence of a strong and independent Iran near what he described as the eastern edge of the “false geography” of Greater Israel.
Khamenei said the enemy had suffered defeat against Iran’s armed forces and had also experienced what he called a “meaningful and deep humiliation” in the streets.
He said the enemy was now focusing its “hybrid war” on two goals: undermining public belief and creating miscalculation among officials.
The Supreme Leader said the main tools of that effort were planting “doubt, despair, fear, suspicion and division,” and urged officials and the public to respond with unity, clarity and mutual trust.
He also warned officials that any action causing public frustration or distrust would amount to helping the enemy.
“Any action that causes pessimism and disillusionment among the people is a form of assistance to the enemy of this country and its people,” he said.
He described the current moment as a new opportunity to promote what he called the school of Ruhollah Khomeini and his slain father, whom he portrayed as “martyred” but victorious.
An Iranian lawmaker slammed hardline members of parliament on Thursday over what he called recent accusations against President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“These lawmakers are people whose identity lies in political uproar and the baseless remarks they make,” Farid Mousavi said.
He said talks with the US were being “pursued to consolidate gains already made,” voicing hoped that the negotiating team would succeed in securing Iran’s interests.
US President Donald Trump privately told aides he would consider ending the ceasefire with Iran if Tehran killed American troops, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.
The officials said the pause in airstrikes remained in place despite continued skirmishes.
Trump’s reluctance to resume the war suggests he may be willing to tolerate smaller flare-ups to avoid a wider conflict in the Middle East, the report said.
