The force, known as NOPO – Iran’s black-clad Counterterrorism Special Force – was assigned to protect the leader after a US-Israeli attack on a complex in Tehran on February 28 killed the elder Khamenei during the launch of Operation Epic Fury.
“With Khamenei gone, NOPO will now likely protect Mojtaba Khamenei,” Ali Safavi, This was said by an official at the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, or NCRI.
The NOPO force, founded in 1991, had the 28th Ruhollah Division (Khomeini’s first name) as its “core”, according to Safavi, and typically carries out hostage rescue operations. “It was not his job to protect Khamenei,” he added.
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Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is receiving protection from the NOPO force after the assassination of his father during the US-Israeli attack on the complex in Tehran on February 28. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The unit’s history also includes deployments against internal security threats, and the unit has often been called upon to suppress protests.
Iran’s Assembly of Experts elected Mojtaba Khamenei on March 8, 2026 and elevated him as the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.
His succession comes amid an ongoing war with the US and Israel, but Mojtaba Khamenei has so far not been heard from since the conflict began.
According to The times of IsraelIranian state television reported that Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the war, but the reports have not yet been confirmed.
“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 Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is seen in Tehran, Iran on December 14, 2016. (Reza B / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
Over time, NOPO has grown 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 against internal and external threats.
“The NOPO consists of only six brigades. Four are stationed in Tehran, one in Mashhad and one in Isfahan,” Safavi said.
“They are much deadlier, more ruthless and better trained than the IRGC,” he claimed before describing the brigade’s loyalty to the Supreme Leader.
“This force was used for the protection of Khamenei,” Safavi continued. “They are very well equipped. Khamenei did not trust any other security forces for his protection.”
Safavi also said that because the battalions are spread across other provinces, some members of the unit are involved in suppressing protests and that the brigade is fully operational.
“Part of the NOPO is now involved in the oppressive and security measures that the regime has also taken in recent days to prevent the outbreak of protests anywhere,” 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 during the January uprising, they were deeply involved in opening fire on protesters,” he said.
This comes amid reports that hundreds of NOPO members have also been widely deployed around prisons in Iran holding political prisoners.
“Hundreds of repressive forces have been deployed on a large scale around the prison. In the Ghezel Hesar prison,” the NCRI said in a statement.
On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, after the bombing of a military center near Mahabad Prison, prisoners whose ward doors were locked protested and set fire to their blankets, demanding their release under war conditions.
“Suppressive forces responded by firing tear gas at the department,” the NCRI reported.
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Reports also indicated that NOPO had taken control of Tehran’s Evin Prison following the flight of regular prison officials amid intensifying conflict.
In 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on NOPO for its part in committing “serious human rights violations against persons in Iran or Iranian citizens or residents, or the family members of the foregoing persons.”
