- Tehran deployed elite NOPO unit to protect new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei
- Reports of Mojtaba Khamenei's injury in February strike were denied by officials
- NOPO is a highly trained force involved in suppressing protests and protecting leaders
Tehran has reportedly deployed an elite counterterrorism unit to protect Iran's newly appointed Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, following the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a US-Israeli strike under Operation Epic Fury. The development came amid reports claiming the younger Khamenei was injured in strikes on February 28, which killed his father, wife and other family members.
The claim was, however, dismissed by a senior Iranian leader, who stressed that the younger Khamenei, who is yet to address the nation or issue a written statement since he was declared supreme leader on Sunday, is "safe and sound".
New Ayatollah Gets NOPO Shield
As the new Ayatollah remains in hiding, an American media report claimed that Iran's black-clad Counterterrorism Special Force, also known as NOPO, was assigned to safeguard the 56-year-old cleric.
"With (Ali) Khamenei gone, NOPO will likely now be protecting Mojtaba Khamenei," Fox News reported, quoting Ali Safavi, an official with the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, or NCRI.
About NOPO
The NOPO force, formed in 1991, is an elite Iranian riot police unit under the Special Units Command. It is reportedly considered the "best" special forces unit in Iranian policing and the most highly trained. Although nominally tasked with hostage rescue, NOPO is heavily involved in the violent suppression of protests, including the 1999 student protests, 2019 unrest, and Mahsa Amini protests and is accused of serious human rights violations.
"NOPO is the Farsi acronym for Nirouyeh Vijeh Pasdaran Velayat, which translates into the Special Force to Protect the Supreme Leader," Safavi said, adding that "Velayat is not necessarily the supreme leader but the entirety of the regime."
He noted that over time, the special force has evolved into a highly specialised unit distinct from the broader Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the military branch established in 1979 to defend the Islamic Republic and its leadership from internal and external threats.
According to Safavi, the NOPO is composed of six brigades only. Four are stationed in Tehran, one in Mashhad and one in Isfahan.
"They are far more lethal, ruthless and well-trained than the IRGC," he claimed before describing how the brigade's loyalty was to the Supreme Leader. "This force was used for the protection of Khamenei," Safavi said.
"They are very well-equipped. Khamenei did not trust any other security force for his protection."
According to reports, some members of the unit were likely killed in Ali Khamenei's assassination, but Safavi noted that the force remains fully operational.
"Some of the NOPO could have been killed when Khamenei was killed, but the fact is that they are now involved in the suppressive and security measures the regime has also undertaken in recent days to prevent any outbreak of protests," he said, adding that the elite force's activities extend beyond personal protection in times of crisis.
"But in times of crisis, such as what happened during the January uprising, they were heavily involved in opening fire on the protesters," he said.
The development comes amid reports saying hundreds of NOPO members have been widely deployed around prisons in Iran that are holding political detainees.
Concerns Over Mojtaba Khamenei's Whereabout
The 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei, a discreet figure who has rarely appeared in public or spoken at official events, has yet to address the nation or issue a written statement since he was declared supreme leader on Sunday. Earlier on Wednesday, Yousef Pezeshkian, son of Iran's president, said he was safe and healthy despite reports of an injury during the war.
"I heard news that Mr Mojtaba Khamenei had been injured. I have asked some friends who had connections. They told me that, thank God, he is safe and sound," said Pezeshkian, who is also a government adviser, in a post on his Telegram channel.
The clarification came after the New York Times, quoting three unnamed Iranian officials, reported that Khamenei "had suffered injuries, including to his legs, but that he was alert and sheltering at a highly secure location with limited communication".
Iran's Assembly of Experts elected Mojtaba Khamenei on March 8, elevating him to the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. According to a Reuters report, Iran's Revolutionary Guards forced through the choice of younger Khamenei as the new supreme leader, seeing him as a more pliant version of his father who would back their hardline policies, bludgeoning aside the concerns of pragmatists.
Already very powerful, the Guards have gained yet greater sway since the war began and quickly overcame the misgivings of senior political and clerical figures whose opposition to the choice delayed the announcement by hours, the agency reported, quoting sources.
Khamenei's selection, engineered by the Guards, may add up to a more aggressive stance abroad and sterner internal repression, said the three senior Iranian sources, a reformist former official and another insider.
Two of them said they feared the Guards' domination of the system would further transform the Islamic Republic into a military state with only a thin veneer of religious legitimacy, undermining an already shrinking support base and allowing less room to address complex threats.
