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An elite counterterrorism unit has been deployed to protect Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, following the assassination of his father, AyatollahThe force, known as NOPO — Iran’s black-clad Counterterrorism Special Force — was assigned to safeguard the leader after a U.S.-Israel strike on a Tehran compound on Feb.28 killed the elder Khamenei amid the start ofOperation Epic Fury.
“With Khamenei gone, NOPO will likely now be protecting Mojtaba Khamenei,”Ali Safavi,an official with the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, or NCRI said.
The NOPO force, formed in 1991, had the 28th Ruhollah (Khomeini’s first name) Division as its “nucleus”, according to Safavi, and typically handleshostage rescue operations.“Its task was not to protect Khamenei,” he added.
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Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei receives protection from elite NOPO force following his father’s assassination in U.S.-Israel attack on Tehran compound Feb.28.( Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The history of the unit also includes deployments against internal security threats, and it has often been called on to suppress protests.
Iran’sAssembly of Experts electedMojtaba Khamenei on March 8, 2026, elevating him as the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.
His succession comes amidongoing warwith the U.S.and Israel, but so far, Mojtaba Khamenei has not been heard from since the start of the conflict.
According toThe Times of Israel, Iranian state television reported that Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in the war, with the reports yet unconfirmed.
“NOPO is the Farsi acronym for Nirouyeh Vijeh Pasdaran Velayat, which translates into the Special Force to Protect the Supreme Leader,” Safavi further explained before clarifying that “Velayat is not necessarily the supreme leader, but the entirety of the regime.”
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Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is seen in Tehran, Iran, on Dec.14, 2016. (Reza B / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
Over time, NOPO has evolved into a highly specialized 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.
“The NOPO is composed of six brigades only.Four are stationed in Tehran, one in Mashhad and one in Isfahan,” Safavi said.
“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 continued.“They arevery well-equipped.Khamenei did not trust any other security force for his protection.”
Safavi also said some members of the unit were likely killed in Ali Khamenei’s assassination but 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 measuresthe regimehas also undertaken in recent days to prevent any outbreak of protests,” Safavi said.
The elite force’s activities extend beyond personal protection in times of crisis, Safavi added.
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In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, tear gas is fired during an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan.8, 2026. (UGC via AP)
“But in times of crisis, such as what happened during the January uprising, they were heavily involved inopening fire on the protesters,” he said.
This comes amid reports that hundreds of NOPO members have also been widely deployed around prisons in Iran that are holdingpolitical detainees.
“Hundreds of suppressive forces are widely deployed around the prison.In Ghezel Hesar Prison,” the NCRI said in a statement.
On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, following the bombing of a military center near Mahabad Prison, prisoners whose ward doors had been locked protested and set fire to their blankets, demanding their release under wartime conditions.
“Suppressive forces responded by firing tear gas into the ward,” the NCRI reported.
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Reports also indicated NOPO had taken control of Evin Prison in Tehran following the flight of regular prison officials amid intensified conflict.
In 2021, the U.S.Treasury Department imposedsanctions on NOPOfor its part in committing “serious human rights abuses against persons in Iran or Iranian citizens or residents, or the family members of the foregoing.”
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