Global concern is mounting over the situation in Iran, as it has become evident over the past 24 hours that the country’s theocratic regime is prepared to go to extreme lengths to suppress the anti-government protests spreading nationwide.

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, more than 544 people have been killed in the past 15 days, including eight children, as clashes between protesters and security forces continue nightly with undiminished intensity.

Violence has persisted throughout this period, escalating particularly during nighttime confrontations.

Despite claims made today by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that the “situation is under full control” following the bloody incidents over the weekend, protesters appear determined to continue their struggle and may now face even harsher repression.

Against this backdrop, CNN reports that members of Iran’s parliament have urged the minister of information to reinstate patrols by the Basij militias in order to restore order in Tehran and other major cities. But who exactly are the Basij—a controversial paramilitary force that has been used for decades by the Iranian state to suppress protests and social unrest?

Who are the Basij?

The term “Basij,” which means “mobilization” in Farsi, refers to a volunteer paramilitary organization that operates as an auxiliary force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the powerful branch of Iran’s armed forces tasked with safeguarding the political system.

The Basij was founded shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who famously claimed that Iran could never be defeated as long as it possessed a militia of one million people.

The organization recruits members from both urban and rural areas and is primarily structured around mosques in Tehran and other major cities. Its ranks are largely drawn from younger individuals belonging to poorer and more conservative segments of society. With a presence in nearly every city and town across Iran, the Basij serve as an auxiliary enforcement force, carrying out duties such as morality policing at checkpoints and public spaces and playing a key role in the suppression of anti-government demonstrations.

How their role has expanded over the years

During the Iran–Iraq War, hundreds of thousands volunteered to join the Basij, including children as young as 12 and elderly individuals, following aggressive recruitment campaigns in schools and widespread state propaganda. Historians note that the IRGC often deployed Basij members in so-called “human wave” attacks to clear minefields or draw enemy fire.

Their role expanded significantly after 2003, when the group was reorganized and strengthened amid fears of a possible Western or U.S. invasion. Since then, the Basij have consistently appeared at the forefront of efforts to contain uprisings and periods of social unrest.

In 2009, they were deployed for crowd control when tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded Tehran’s streets to protest the presidential election results. Similarly, in 2022, Basij forces participated in the violent suppression of nationwide protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s “morality police.”

Presence in the current wave of protests

According to CNN, the Basij are among the security forces currently deployed in multiple cities during what some observers describe as the most intense protests Iran has seen in years.

State media have reported casualties among security forces as well, including Basij members. There are also indications that the group has been involved in monitoring online activity during the unrest. In a Telegram post on Sunday, the Basij News Agency—the militia’s official media outlet—announced that several websites and social media accounts had been taken offline, stating that “the arrests of bloggers supporting the riots are continuing.”

Both the Basij militia and several of its commanders have repeatedly been subjected to U.S. sanctions, including for alleged human rights abuses, violent crackdowns on student protests, and the reported use of underage fighters.