politics
Iranian Government Deploys Foreign Militias at Tehran Checkpoints
The Iranian government has enlisted foreign militias to staff checkpoints across Tehran and other cities to support security forces in containing civilian protests. The Telegraph reported on May 10, 2026 that members of Iraqi and Afghan militias have been observed conducting vehicle searches, enforcing hijab rules and patrolling neighborhoods.
May 10, 6:30 AM·1m read1 source
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The Iranian government has enlisted the aid of foreign militias to man checkpoints across Tehran to support its security forces and contain civilian protests, the Telegraph reported on May 10, 2026. The report, which cited videos circulating on social media and accounts from several Tehran residents, said members of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces militia have been seen conducting vehicle searches and enforcing hijab regulations in cities across the country.
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The same militia is also conducting neighborhood patrols alongside the regime’s security forces. A resident from Tehran told the Telegraph that for several nights people at the neighborhood checkpoint do not speak Persian. They wear uniforms associated with the Iraqi militia and communicate with gestures and a few broken words of Arabic or Persian.
The Afghan Fatemiyoun militia has also been deployed alongside the Iraqi militia in Iran’s streets. Another resident said the composition at checkpoints has changed from solely local militia members to include personnel in Arabic military uniforms who behave more harshly.
“It’s like they have no restrictions. Even the Iranians don’t say anything to them,” the resident was quoted as saying. Similar reports have emerged from Karaj, a city west of Tehran, where residents have encountered foreign personnel at checkpoints who communicate mainly through gestures and in Arabic and show less restraint than their Iranian counterparts.
