A chilling investigative report has come to light, claiming that Iranian women, undocumented migrants, children, and refugees are being exploited by the Islamic Republic, specifically the IRGC, to finance and support its proxy wars across the region, according to an analysis published last week by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA).
Iran's most powerful military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an army that claims to defend Islamic values, was accused of profiting from some of the most heinous crimes imaginable: the sex trafficking of women and girls, the exploitation of refugees, and the use of children as young as 12 to fight its proxy wars across the Gulf region.
The report alleges that the IRGC directly benefits from human trafficking and uses the sex trafficking sector, often facilitated by the regime through temporary marriages, as a major source of income.
Iran is described as a source, transit, and destination country for sex trafficking. In other words, women and girls are allegedly trafficked within Iran, brought into the country from elsewhere, and transported across its borders.
According to Ella Rosenberg, a senior research fellow at the JCFA and a member of the Dvorah Forum, these trafficking networks move women and girls within Iran and across its borders, specifically naming Iraq and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as destinations.
"Iran’s legal framework allows the regime to project an image of compliance with international anti-trafficking regulations while relying on flawed legislation that falls short of international standards and fails to adequately protect victims."
She noted that the Islamic Republic conflates human trafficking with migrant smuggling and has consistently refused to ratify the 2000 United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (the Palermo Protocol).
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The report said that the same guards who enforce morality on the streets of Tehran are accused of taking bribes to allow sex trafficking and human trafficking networks to operate, collecting fees to let women and girls be moved across borders.
Rosenberg also highlighted Article 1041 of Iran’s Civil Code, which permits girls to marry at 13, while younger girls may marry with parental permission and court approval. She argued that the provision has helped normalize the sexual exploitation of minors.
In simple terms, the law allows girls to marry at 13 and, under certain conditions, even younger.
Rosenberg also linked the practice of nikah mut’ah, a temporary marriage contract agreed upon for a predetermined period, to the exploitation of vulnerable women and girls by organized trafficking networks. Traffickers can allegedly use these arrangements to portray exploitation as marriage, creating a loophole that places women and girls at greater risk.
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The report argues that cross-border sex trafficking on this scale would be difficult to sustain without the IRGC's alleged complicity, given its role in border control and the intelligence apparatus's oversight of internal security checkpoints and airports.
It also cites findings and allegations documented by human rights groups, including the IHR Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and HRANA, concerning IRGC commanders allegedly accepting bribes to facilitate the passage of trafficking victims.
According to the report, widespread poverty, corruption, and economic mismanagement have created conditions in which trafficking networks can thrive. Financial desperation leaves families vulnerable to exploitation, while official corruption allegedly allows traffickers to operate and profit with relative impunity.
With widespread poverty, corruption, laws that allow child marriage, and temporary marriage practices allegedly being weaponized, Iran faces what the report describes as a perfect storm for sex trafficking to flourish, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly cashing in.
The report says this is the perfect storm for sex trafficking to flourish, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is cashing in.
Report Claims IRGC Uses Trafficking to Sustain Its Wars
The analysis further alleges that the Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force and the Basij militia systematically traffic undocumented migrants, refugees, and children to sustain Iran's proxy wars.
According to the report, the IRGC exploits vulnerable populations, particularly Afghan and Pakistani refugees, to recruit fighters through deception, financial coercion, and threats of deportation.
These individuals are reportedly forced to join proxy militias such as the Fatemiyoun and Zainabiyoun Brigades, which have deployed fighters in regional conflicts, including in Syria.
Additionally, in violation of international law, the Basij systematically recruits and coerces Iranian children as young as 12 into military indoctrination and combat support roles. This was described as a severe form of human trafficking, as the recruitment exploits children's vulnerability to coerce them into hazardous, involuntary servitude in military environments.
In short, these refugees are reportedly trafficked into war zones and used as cheap soldiers to advance Iran's regional ambitions.
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The report further claims that relying on underpaid or unpaid refugee fighters significantly reduces Iran's military expenditures, potentially saving billions of dollars. Rather than paying professional soldiers, the regime allegedly exploits Afghan refugees who can be threatened with deportation to secure their participation.
Instead of paying salaries, the authorities reportedly rely on coercion, reducing the financial burden of sustaining proxy forces.
But what happens to the money saved through these practices?
According to the report, these arrangements free up resources for the IRGC's extensive business interests and for financing regional armed groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Yemen's Houthis.
"Iran’s “tax” system also allows it to benefit from migrants transiting from Pakistan and Afghanistan who are hoping to reach Europe through Iran and Turkey."
The IRGC has not yet responded to these specific allegations. However, the claims detailed in Ella Rosenberg's analysis raise serious questions about the alleged exploitation of vulnerable populations to finance Iran's regional operations and sustain its network of proxy forces.