Iran's Quds Force Appoints New Head for Secret Assassination Unit

Esmail Qaani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, has appointed a new leader for the unit responsible for overseas assassinations, following the previous commander's elimination in an Israeli strike. The unit, formerly known as Unit 840 and now reportedly renamed Unit 600, has undergone restructuring after its personnel and operational methods were exposed. This move aims to rebuild the Quds Force's clandestine operations capabilities after a series of intelligence failures and thwarted operations globally.

According to a report by the Iranian opposition outlet Iran International, Mojtaba Khalegh-San, 64, has been appointed as the new commander. Khalegh-San previously served as the head of the unit's intelligence department. He replaces Yazdan Mir, also known as Haj Asghar Bakri, who was killed in a targeted Israeli strike on April 6. Since Mir's death, the unit has been without a permanent commander.

The report also revealed the unit's updated command structure. Mohammad Reza Ansari is serving as the deputy commander and is responsible for activities related to Israel. Mohsen Boroujerdi leads special operations in the United States and Europe, Mortaza Babaei oversees operations in the Middle East and Africa, and Javad Sharafa'i is in charge of special operations in Asia. The unit, established in the early 2010s under Qassem Soleimani, has been linked to numerous plots, including assassination attempts on American and Israeli officials, journalists, and regime opponents.

Unit 840 has been associated with various international incidents, including alleged plots to assassinate former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for which U.S. officials imposed sanctions on Ansari and another operative. The unit has also been linked to attempts to harm Israeli businessmen in Colombia and to orchestrate attacks using criminal organizations and local criminals. In Germany, an Iranian-German citizen linked to the unit was reportedly involved in organizing attacks against synagogues and an attempted assassination of an Iranian rapper before being killed in Tehran.

Further reports indicate that the unit, codenamed "The Wedding," allegedly plotted to assassinate two Iran International journalists in the UK. Similar activities have been attributed to the Quds Force in Scandinavia, involving criminal networks targeting Israeli interests. These revelations and operational failures have led to sanctions from the U.S., UK, and EU against individuals connected to the unit's alleged assassination plots.