How Iran plans to fight US: 14 million volunteers, kids in army, human chains

UPDATED: Apr 7, 2026 13:18 IST

With just 17 hours remaining before Donald Trump’s deadline on the Strait of Hormuz expires, Iran is bracing for a potentially prolonged and brutal confrontation with the United States. Despite losing several top officials in recent US-Israel strikes, Tehran has refused to back down, fuelling fears that the conflict could escalate into a ground invasion. In response, the country is mobilising on an unprecedented scale, with millions volunteering for combat, children being allowed into military ranks, and authorities even considering human chains as a last line of defence.

As many as 14 million people have volunteered to fight for the country if there is a ground invasion by the United States and Israel, Iran state TV said on Tuesday. The number has doubled in just 5 days as Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf had on April 2 said that 7 million had volunteered.

Iran is home to some 90 million people. State media and text message campaigns have urged people to volunteer. The government has also called on retired soldiers to express their interest in fighting.

IRAN USING CHILDREN IN WAR

The paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force has begun accepting children as young as 12 into its ranks. Amnesty has warned some even carry firearms, calling their recruitment a war crime.

Rahim Nadali, a cultural official with the Guards in Tehran, said an initiative called “For Iran” was recruiting participants to assist with activities such as patrols, checkpoints and logistics. The move comes despite Iran’s commitments under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits the use of children in military activities.

“Given that the age of those coming forward has dropped, and they are asking to take part, we lowered the minimum age to 12,” he said, adding that 12- and 13-year-olds could now take part if they wished.

A senior Iranian military commander has called on parents to send their children to staff security checkpoints, the latest instance of minors being used in frontline roles in the ongoing Iran war.

Gen Hossein Yekta, linked to the Basij volunteer militia under Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), made the remarks on state television, reported Associated Press.

"Moms, dads, take your kids hands and go out on streets," he said. "Do you want your kid to become a real man? Let him feel like a hero standing right at the heart of the battlefield. Moms, dads, at night send your kids to man checkpoints. They become men!"

Basij checkpoints have been repeatedly targeted in airstrikes.

HUMAN CHAINS TO SHIELD ATTACKS

The Iranian regime has urged its civilians, including youth, artists and athletes, to form human chains at power plants across the country on April 7 to prevent a potential US attack targeting public infrastructure. This comes as Trump threatened Iran with attacking power plants if the conflict-torn Strait of Hormuz does not become fully operational after the due course of time.

Announcing the plan and encouraging the citizens, Alireza Rahimi, Iran’s Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, wrote on X, "We will stand hand in hand to say: Attacking public infrastructure is a war crime."

He further mentioned that the initiative, titled “Iran’s Youth Human Chain for a Bright Future,” is aimed at showcasing solidarity and support towards the actions of the armed forces against the "aggressors", as reported by Iran .

In his latest attempt to make Iran bend, Trump on Monday warned of coordinated attacks on Tehran's power plants and bridges if Hormuz is not opened by the end of his deadline.

"Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fu***n' Strait, you crazy ba***rds, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J TRUMP," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

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