The Controversial Force Guarding Iran’s Leadership Amidst Turmoil

Latest reports indicate that Mojtaba Khamenei, who took over the position of Iran’s Supreme Leader following the death of his father Ali Khamenei on February 28th in US-Israel strikes amidst the ongoing West Asia war, has deployed the NOPO force for his safeguard. The NOPO force, formed in 1991, is an elite Iranian riot police unit under the Special Units Command. It is believed to be heavily involved in the violent suppression of protests, and is extremely loyal to the Islamic regime of Iran. Mojtaba, although officially now designated as the supreme leader, is yet to address the nation from his new position or speak in public. The Iranian regime has consistently denied reports indicating that he was injured in various strikes and attempted assassinations. Allegedly, he remains in hiding in an undisclosed location amid ongoing warfare. As the new Ayatollah continues to be in hiding, an American media report (Fox News) 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. NOPO, officially standing for Counter-terrorism Special Force, is an Iranian riot police force acting under the Amīr al-Mu’minīn Unit of the Special Units Command. It is believed to be one of the very few armed militias in Iran that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei fully trusted. Its official mandate includes handling hostage situations and specialized counter-terrorism operations. The force consists of six brigades: four based in Tehran, one in Mashhad, and one in Isfahan. NOPO has reportedly been accused and held responsible for multiple human rights violations. It has been heavily involved in the violent suppression of protests, including the 1999 student protests, 2019 unrest, and the famous Mahsa Amini Anti-hijab protests in 2022. Ali Safavi, an official with the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran stated that 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.”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.” This implies that NOPO is nothing but a regime loyalist force and that is one of the main reasons that it was trusted by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei so much. It has been involved in cracking down against dissenting voices and making sure the integrity and security of the Islamic regime is maintained. “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,” They are very well-equipped. Khamenei did not trust any other security force for his protection.” Ali Safavi said. According to some unverified 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. This article is written by Satvik AVP, a student of Loyola Academy, Secunderabad, interning with Deccan Chronicle.



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