Notes:

Mohammad Hossein Hosseini Yekta, who has been identified as one of the commanders of the plainclothes forces, is the founder and chairman of the board of the Imam Reza Community. This organization presents itself as a developer of innovative and knowledge-based ideas in the social sphere, yet it also engages in activities such as facilitating marriage. The “Adam and Havva” Empowerment and Marriage Facilitation Unit was established as the third specialized department of the Imam Reza Community in the field of marriage and family. Its stated purpose is to advance the directives of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran on promoting matchmaking and expanding proper Islamic marriage and family formation based on the teachings of Islam and the Quran, with the ultimate goal of moving toward an Islamic society. Hossein Yekta is also the founder and CEO of the Khatam al-Owsieh Cultural Foundation, also referred to as a cultural headquarters, an entity regarded as one of the psychological warfare arms of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The objective of this foundation is to recruit, radicalize, and mobilize pro-regime forces and organize them into a centralized body for IRGC propaganda operations. In 2024, United Against Nuclear Iran revealed that Hossein Yekta had been hosted online by a London-based entity. In these videos, Yekta referred to British students of the “Islamic Students Association of Britain,” which operates under the structure of the Office of the Supreme Leader, as the IRGC’s “soft war officers.” (UK Parliment - Written evidence submitted by United Against Nuclear Iran (DIS0042)- Disinformation Diplomacy Inquiry: Written Evidence Submission) (BBC - UK officials probe Iran generals' antisemitic talks to students) In the autumn of 1404 (October–December 2025), after images surfaced of individuals under the age of 18 registering on the Adam and Havva platform, Mohammad Hossein Asghari, the platform's executive director, explained in an interview with Shargh newspaper: “Article 1041 of the Civil Code sets the legal age of marriage at 13 for girls and 15 for boys. Legally, we are obliged to accept membership applications and cannot prevent anyone from registering if they fall within that legal age range.” Although according to the platform’s regulations, it is the families who are permitted to register girls under the age of 15—not the girls themselves—he claimed that if a child does not consent, the matchmaking process will be halted. According to him, out of 70,000 approved forms, 26 were in the age range of 13 to 15 years, with one form from a girl aged between 13 and 14, and 25 from girls aged between 14 and 15. In the same Shargh report, the journalist recounts that before interviewing Asghari, she contacted the platform's operator to follow up on the registration of a 13-year-old girl. The response was that "Adam and Havva" only acts as an introducer. Without any questions or explanation, the operator stated from the outset that registering a 13-year-old child posed no problem. The operator also noted that the 13-year-old lacked the literacy skills to use the website and therefore a parent or adult must handle the registration and follow-up process. In response to concerns about potential abuse after registration, the site’s representative stated that the forms are filled based on “user honesty,” and in case of any violations during in-person meetings, users are expected to report them to the platform. However, the representative made no mention of specialized safeguarding mechanisms for individuals under 18, age filters, or identity verification controls. When asked about registering girls under 13—who legally require a court order—the representative responded: “The form must be filled out with documents and personal information, and if a court ruling for maturity is needed, our colleagues will contact you.” Later, when asked whether the platform accompanies families until the marriage is finalized, the representative stated that the organization's role is limited to “introductions and initial acquaintance,” and that investigating the individual, assessing their psychological and social well-being, and other responsibilities are left to the families: “We only introduce individuals to each other.” When asked about the availability of classes or educational programs to assist in better decision-making, the operator only referred to the online content available on the platform. (Shargh Daily – A Platform That Enables Child Marriage) On the other hand, on 13 Aban 1404 (November 4, 2025), the website Eghtesad Online reported that on the Adam and Havva platform, girls aged 10 to 15 had profiles and had declared their readiness for marriage. (Eghtesad Online – Behind the Scenes of the “Aramesh Marriage” Clip / 10-Year-Old Girls on the Adam-o-Havva Website Are Seeking Husbands with Their Mothers' Mediation!) According to investigations by Dadgostar, the minimum age for women seeking a spouse on the platform is set at 13. A simple search without registration for girls aged 13 to 17 results in at least 100 visible profiles (the maximum number of results shown), indicating that the actual number of users under the age of 18 is significantly higher. Adam & Eve also identifies the Imam Reza Karamat Foundation and the National Foundation of Iranian Families as its supporters. The Imam Reza Karamat Foundation, also known as the Razavi Karamat Foundation, operates within the organizational structure of Astan Quds Razavi; members of its board of directors have also been appointed by order of the custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, and Hossein Yekta himself previously served as the foundation’s president and later as a member of its board of directors. This relationship is also significant from an international sanctions perspective. Astan Quds Razavi has been designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury under Executive Order 13876 since January 2021. At the time of the designation, the U.S. government described Astan Quds Razavi as an entity controlled by Iran’s Supreme Leader and simultaneously sanctioned a number of companies and institutions affiliated with it. Adam & Eve’s other supporter is the National Foundation of Iranian Families. Jamaleddin Aberoumand has been identified as the chairman of the foundation’s board of directors. Aberoumand is a former senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He previously served as the IRGC commander-in-chief’s coordinating deputy and, in 2018, was appointed by order of the IRGC commander-in-chief as deputy commander of the IRGC’s Soft War Headquarters. In addition to serving as the IRGC’s coordinating deputy, he was a member of the board of directors of the IRGC Cooperative Foundation and, for a period, served as its chairman. The IRGC Cooperative Foundation, which manages part of the IRGC’s economic activities and investments, has been designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury since December 2010. Aberoumand remained part of the foundation’s management structure for at least several years after the sanctions were imposed. In February 2023, Iran International also published an exclusive report concerning Aberoumand. The outlet alleged that Aberoumand, who had previously served as chairman of the IRGC Cooperative Foundation, was involved in a scheme related to funding the IRGC’s proxy forces. According to the report, the salaries of members of the Fatemiyoun, Zainabiyoun, and Yemen’s Houthis were reported to the government at amounts higher than what was actually paid, with Aberoumand allegedly appropriating part of the difference. Iran International further alleged that, together with Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, he assisted the IRGC Quds Force in concealing both the true destination of funds sent to proxy forces and the actual amount of their salaries. These allegations were based on exclusive information and statements from sources cited by Iran International. (Iran International – “Jamaleddin Aberoumand, Ghalibaf’s aide, appropriated part of the funds allocated to the IRGC’s proxy forces”) The significance of these connections becomes clearer when considering that both organizations identified as supporters of Adam & Eve, as well as a number of managers and officials associated with them, have direct links—through organizational structures or previous management roles—to entities designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Yekta’s name was also mentioned in a November 2022 Iran International report in connection with the financing of Iran’s apparatus of repression. The report stated that a group of sanctioned businessmen and individuals involved in money laundering for the Islamic Republic, acting through four currency exchanges and a figure close to Mojtaba Khamenei—Hossein Yekta—had played a role in financing the apparatus of repression. (Iran International – “Revealing the role of Hossein Yekta, Khamenei’s ‘purebred Arabian horse,’ in financing the apparatus of repression”) Hossein Yekta is also identified in his official biography as the secretary of the Central Rahian-e Noor Headquarters and as having been responsible for organizing the dispatch of school and university students to former war zones. This issue is also noteworthy from a children’s rights perspective. Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, individuals under the age of 18 are considered children, and their use in military activities is prohibited. Iran, which acceded to the Convention in 1994, has faced criticism from human rights organizations over alleged violations of its obligations in areas including child labor, judicial punishments, child marriage, and military training. In this context, some human rights organizations have characterized the participation of school students in Rahian-e Noor camps—given their visits to former war zones, exposure to violent content, and receipt of ideological instruction—as a form of instrumentalizing children in pursuit of militaristic objectives. Given Yekta’s direct role in organizing these camps and his responsibility for dispatching school and university students, his activities within Rahian-e Noor form part of the same structure that has been subject to such criticism. Statements by Basij officials also indicate that Rahian-e Noor has been used not only for propaganda and ideological purposes, but also as a tool for recruiting and developing young cadres. In 2014, the head of the South Khorasan Student Basij stated that these camps “provide a suitable environment for attracting university students toward the Basij.” Similarly, one official responsible for student Rahian-e Noor described the program as a platform for “cadre development, elite development, and the cultivation of the main forces of the Revolution,” while the deputy head of the Basij Organization stated that Rahian-e Noor had assumed part of the responsibility for “cadre-building for the Islamic Revolution.” These statements indicate that a program in whose organization and management Hossein Yekta played a direct role has itself been described by Basij officials as a mechanism for recruiting, ideologically training, and developing young cadres. On April 7, 2026, amid U.S. and Israeli military attacks on Iran, Hossein Yekta addressed citizens in a video, saying: “Mothers and fathers, take your children by the hand and bring them out into the streets... If you want your child to become a man, let him feel like a hero, like he has stepped into the field... Send the children to the checkpoints at night; the children will become men.” These remarks came as, during the same conflict, the Basij Teachers Organization reported the death of at least one child, 11-year-old student Alireza Jafari, at a checkpoint. The organization stated that he had been killed in a drone strike while “on duty” at a checkpoint on Artesh Highway. Iran has been a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child since 1994. Under Article 38 of the Convention, States Parties are required to respect the rules of international humanitarian law applicable to children in armed conflicts, take all feasible measures to ensure that children under the age of 15 do not take a direct part in hostilities, and, more broadly, take all feasible measures to ensure the “protection and care” of children affected by armed conflict. It should also be noted that Hossein Yekta has been subject to European Union sanctions since March 16, 2026. The European Union identified him as a senior IRGC commander involved in recruitment and ideological indoctrination for the IRGC, and further stated that, during the protests that began in December 2025, he publicly supported the shooting of peaceful protesters. On this basis, the European Union designated him as responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran.