On Tuesday, October 16, the United States Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a multi-billion-dollar financial network which includes several Iranian banks and companies for “recruitment and training child soldiers for the country’s elite Revolutionary Guards”.

According to the treasury department, Mellat Bank, Mehr Eghtesad Bank, Tabriz Tractor Manufacturing, Mobarakeh Isfahan Steel, and Taavon Basij Foundation are among the companies that are included in the new sanctions.

In his announcement, Steven Mnuchin the Secretary of Treasury has reported the discovery of this network and said: “This massive multi-billion-dollar economic network is under IRGC control and helps recruit and train child soldiers.”

In June, the State Department’s “2018 Human Trafficking Report” had accused the Islamic Republic of using child soldiers in its wars in the region and financially supporting groups that use child soldiers.”

Some of these criticisms are directed at IRGC’s “Fatemiyoun Army” (Liwa Fatemiyoun) which mostly consists of Afghan immigrants and participates in military adventures in the region, including in Syria.

It is also mentioned in the Treasury Department’s statement that Basij organization (Revolutionary Guard’s militia) along with IRGC’s Quds Force (the International arm of the IRGC) often use children as young as 12 in their war to support the Assad regime. The statement continues that the Basij also “violently suppresses people’s uprisings in Iran” and it is a “serious violator of Human Rights”.