Mojtaba Khamenei defies ‘malicious’ attacks as US Army zeroes in on Iran’s 350,000 troops

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei claimed Oct.

8 that U.S. and Israeli strikes had failed to undermine Iran's domestic security forces, praising police personnel for resisting attacks launched in February under Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion.

Khamenei's remarks on X also came as the U.S.

Army released a new battlefield identification guide to help American troops recognize members of Iran's conventional military, known as the Artesh, whose ground forces were estimated by the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security in June at 350,000 personnel.

"The criminal US-Zionist enemy's desperate efforts and malicious attacks on the pillars of social order and security, which are unparalleled throughout history, have not caused the courageous personnel of the Police Force to waver even a fraction in their mission," Khamenei wrote in a statement.

Khamenei specifically praised Iran's Law Enforcement Command, known as FARAJA, accusing the United States and Israel of targeting the institution responsible for maintaining domestic order.

"The focus and persistence of the criminal US-Zionist enemy in striking at the Police Force at its various levels, from its highest command levels down to those who are on the frontline, has only served to underscore the paramount importance of this institution more than ever," he wrote.

IRAN PROVES THAT IT MIGHT CHANGE ITS MILITARY LEADERS, BUT IT’S NOT CHANGING STRATEGY Iran's security apparatus comprises three principal branches: the Artesh, responsible primarily for conventional territorial defense; the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), tasked with protecting the Islamic Republic and projecting military power; and FARAJA, responsible for domestic law enforcement and internal security.

IRAN’S GUTTED RANKS LEAVE LOYALISTS FILLING CRITICAL POSTS — WITH ONE GLARING PROBLEM FARAJA, commanded by Brig.

Gen.

Ahmadreza Radan, is responsible for maintaining public order, enforcing the country's laws and responding to civil unrest.

According to Iran Human Rights Monitor , the force has evolved into a powerful internal security institution involved in suppressing anti-government demonstrations, monitoring political activity and enforcing the regime's ideological restrictions.

IRAN INSTALLS NEW WAR CHIEFS AS TEHRAN SIGNALS ‘PROLONGED CONFRONTATION,’ EXPERT WARNS Radan has also been sanctioned by the United States for his role in human rights abuses.

The Treasury Department designated him in September 2010, citing his responsibility for beatings, killings and arbitrary arrests of protesters following Iran's disputed 2009 presidential election.