File photo (Picture credit: Getty Images)
Iran has reportedly deployed an elite counterterrorism unit known as NOPO to protect its newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei following the assassination of his father Ali Khamenei.According to Fox News, the black-clad special force has been tasked with safeguarding Mojtaba Khamenei after a US-Israeli strike on a Tehran compound on February 28 killed the elder leader at the start of the military campaign known as Operation Epic Fury.Ali Safavi, an official with the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, said the elite unit would now be responsible for protecting the new leader. “With Khamenei gone, NOPO will likely now be protecting Mojtaba Khamenei,” he told Fox News.
What is the NOPO force ?
NOPO is the Farsi acronym for Nirouyeh Vijeh Pasdaran Velayat, roughly translated as a special force tasked with protecting the regime. The unit was established in 1991 and evolved from the 28th Ruhollah Division, named after Ruhollah Khomeini, Safavi said.The force is relatively small but highly specialised, consisting of six brigades — four stationed in Tehran and others based in Mashhad and Isfahan. According to Safavi, the unit is “far more lethal, ruthless and well-trained” than regular elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.Originally created to handle hostage rescue missions, the unit has also been deployed to deal with internal security threats and suppress anti-government protests. Safavi said some members have been involved in recent security crackdowns to prevent unrest across Iran.“Some of the NOPO are now involved in the suppressive and security measures the regime has also undertaken in recent days to prevent any outbreak of protests anywhere,” he said, adding that the force has previously opened fire on demonstrators during uprisings.
Protection amid war and uncertainty
The deployment comes days after Iran’s Assembly of Experts named Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s third supreme leader on March 8, following his father’s assassination.However, the new leader has not appeared publicly since his appointment. According to news agency AFP, officials said Mojtaba Khamenei had been injured in the initial strike but remained “safe and sound.”Analysts believe he is likely staying in a highly secure location to avoid becoming a target in the ongoing conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel.Security deployments have also expanded across the country. Fox News reported that hundreds of NOPO personnel have been stationed around prisons holding political detainees, including the high-security Evin Prison, amid fears of unrest during the war.The elite force has also faced international criticism. In 2021, the United States Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on NOPO over what it described as “serious human rights abuses” against Iranian citizens.With Mojtaba Khamenei now the primary target in the ongoing conflict, analysts say the highly trained unit is likely to remain central to the regime’s efforts to protect its leadership.
