Iran has reportedly deployed its elite counterterrorism unit, known as NOPO, to safeguard newly appointed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei following the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a strike on a compound in Tehran on February 28. The black-clad special force has long served as a key protective unit for the Iranian leadership and is now believed to be responsible for ensuring the security of the country’s new supreme authority amid heightened tensions in the region.
According to reports citing Ali Safavi of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, the NOPO unit has taken over the personal protection of Mojtaba Khamenei following the death of the former supreme leader. The name NOPO is the Farsi acronym for Nirouyeh Vijeh Pasdaran Velayat, which translates as the Special Force to Protect the Supreme Leader. Safavi noted that the term “Velayat” refers broadly to the governing system of the Islamic Republic rather than solely to the individual leader.
Established in 1991, the NOPO force has developed into a highly specialized security unit that operates separately from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the military organization created after the 1979 revolution to defend Iran’s political system from internal and external threats. Safavi said the unit consists of six brigades, with four based in Tehran and the others stationed in Mashhad and Isfahan. The force is described as heavily equipped and trained for rapid counterterrorism operations and leadership protection.
Observers say the unit is regarded as more lethal and tightly controlled than other Iranian security forces and has historically been entrusted with the direct protection of the supreme leader. Reports indicate that the force has also been deployed during periods of domestic unrest and has played a role in suppressing protests.
Iran’s Assembly of Experts elected Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s third supreme leader on March 8, 2026, following the death of his father. Iranian state television has suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei may have been injured during the February strike that killed several members of his family, though no official confirmation has been issued.
In recent days, security measures across Iran have reportedly intensified as authorities seek to prevent potential unrest. Safavi said NOPO personnel have been involved in heightened security deployments, including around detention facilities that hold political prisoners. The National Council of Resistance of Iran also claimed that additional security forces have been stationed around prisons such as Ghezel Hesar.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has issued warnings indicating it will continue targeting individuals involved in Iran’s leadership succession. In a statement posted in Farsi on social media, Israeli officials said they would pursue not only the successor to the slain supreme leader but also those responsible for selecting him. Mojtaba Khamenei, who rarely appears in public, has yet to address the nation or release a public statement since assuming the country’s top leadership role.
