An elite counterterrorism team has been dispatched to ensure the safety of Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in the aftermath of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s assassination, as reported by Fox News Digital.

This team, known as NOPO—Iran’s specialized Counterterrorism Special Force clad in black—has been tasked with protecting the new leader. This follows a U.S.-Israel military operation on February 28, which targeted a compound in Tehran, resulting in the death of the senior Khamenei and marking the beginning of Operation Epic Fury.

“With the passing of Khamenei, it is expected that NOPO will now focus on safeguarding Mojtaba Khamenei,” remarked Ali Safavi, a representative from the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), based in Paris.

Originally established in 1991, the NOPO force was built around the 28th Ruhollah Division, named after Khomeini’s first name, according to Safavi. This unit primarily specializes in hostage rescue missions. “Their original mandate did not include the protection of Khamenei,” Safavi noted.

Following the assassination of his father in a U.S.-Israel assault on a Tehran compound on February 28, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is now under the protection of the elite NOPO force. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

In addition to its counterterrorism duties, the unit has a history of addressing internal security challenges and has frequently been deployed to quell protests.

Iran’s Assembly of Experts elected Mojtaba Khamenei on March 8, 2026, elevating him as the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic.

His succession comes amid ongoing war with the U.S. and Israel, but so far, Mojtaba Khamenei has not been heard from since the start of the conflict.

According to The 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.”

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 are very well-equipped. Khamenei did not trust any other security force for his protection.”

Safavi also said that with battalions distributed in other provinces, some members of the unit are involved in protest suppression and the brigade is fully operational.

“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,” Safavi said.

The elite force’s activities extend beyond personal protection in times of crisis, Safavi added.

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 in opening 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 holding political 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.

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 imposed sanctions on NOPO for its part in committing “serious human rights abuses against persons in Iran or Iranian citizens or residents, or the family members of the foregoing.”