NOHED stands for Nirooyeh Vizheh Havabord (Airborne Special Force), which operated as the 23rd NOHED Brigade of the Iranian Army Ground Forces during the Iraq-Iran War, taking part in various operational areas.

The origins of Iran’ s Airborne Special Force (NOHED) date back to 1953, when a select group of army personnel was sent to France for parachute training. On their return, the unit was established in the Bagh-e Shah Garrison in Tehran under the supervision of foreign military advisors, particularly the Americans. It began as a basic parachute unit and, between 1958 and 1960, was expanded into a parachute battalion.⁠[1] In 1966, the battalion was upgraded to the Airborne Special Force Brigade (NOHED), famously known as the “ Green Berets”, with five battalions.⁠[2] In 1977, a hostage rescue unit was also added to the brigade structure to counter terrorist operations.⁠[3]

Among the NOHED’ s key activities during the second Pahlavi regime were supporting and guiding anti-Iraqi Kurdish groups in Operation Delavaran in 1969;⁠[4] participating in the Dhofar War in Oman from 1972 to 1975;⁠[5] and providing security for the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran.⁠[6]

Following the victory of the Islamic Revolution in February 1979 and the establishment of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), personnel from the 23rd NOHED Brigade took on the responsibility of training the initial core units of the IRGC.⁠[7] With the outbreak of unrest in Kurdistan shortly after the Revolution, the brigade played a major role in clearing various areas of armed anti-revolutionary groups including Sardasht, Piranshahr, and Baneh.⁠[8]

When the Iran-Iraq War began, battalions 137 and 154 of the 23rd NOHED Brigade were deployed to the western front, while Battalion 172 went to the southern front.⁠[9] The core of Martyr Chamran’ s forces (Irregular Warfare Headquarters) in the Ahvaz sector had also been formed from the units and forces of this brigade.⁠[10]

Likewise, the personnel of the 23rd NOHED Brigade formed the core of the 58th Zulfaqar Commando Division of the Army Ground Forces.⁠[11]

The brigade participated with battalions 154, 172, 137, and 192 in Operation Beit al-Muqaddas and the liberation of Khorramshahr in 1982. In this operation, the 23rd NOHED Brigade managed to cross the Karun River, break through enemy lines, reach the Ahvaz– Khorramshahr Road, and later push forward to the border with Iraq. Battalion 154 also entered Khorramshahr on May 24, 1982, and contributed to the liberation of the city.⁠[12]

In July 1983, the 23rd NOHED Brigade was upgraded to the 23rd Special Force Division⁠[13] and reorganized with two commando brigades and one NOHED brigade.⁠[14]

In 1985, Operation Qader was conducted jointly by the Army and IRGC in the Piranshahr border region, with the 23rd Special Force Division taking part. Together with other Army and IRGC units, the division helped capture several border heights during operations Qader 1 and Qader 2 in July and September 1985. Colonel Hassan Abshenasan, the division’ s commander at the time, was martyred in Operation Qader 2.⁠[15]

The division participated in Operation Ramazan, Valfajr 2, Valfajr 4, Badr, and Nasr 7.⁠[16] Later, the division was often sent deep into Iraqi territory for intelligence-gathering and cross-border operations.⁠[17]

After the liberation of Khorramshahr, part of the 23rd Division was sent to West Azerbaijan to establish and maintain security and was stationed in the Piranshahr area until 1991. The unit was then redeployed to Sarpol-e Zahab (Kermanshah) and remained in that border region until 1993.⁠[18]

During the Iran-Iraq War, 1,678 personnel from the 23rd Division were martyred,⁠[19] among the most prominent being Brigadier General Hassan Abshenasan, Colonel Ebrahim Aliasgharloo, Major Hussain Shahramfar, and Major Hassan Hedavand Mirzaei.⁠[20] A total of 4,873 personnel were wounded, and 176 were taken prisoner by the enemy.⁠[21]

After the war ended, the engineering battalion of the 23rd Division took part in demining operations in contaminated areas⁠[22].⁠[23] For example, between 1991 and 1992, it cleared approximately 1,200 hectares of land in the Somar and Naft Shahr.⁠[24]

In early 1992, the 3rd NOHED Brigade— along with the hostage rescue unit, psychological operations company, unconventional warfare training center, logistics battalion, and headquarters company— was separated from the 23rd Division, relocated to the western part of Afshariyeh Garrison, and reorganized as the 65th NOHED Brigade.⁠[25]

During the Iran– Iraq War, the 23rd NOHED Brigade was commanded first by Colonel Shahram Ramtin and subsequently by Colonel Muhammad Muhammadi.⁠[26] After its elevation to division status, command passed in sequence to Colonel Muhammad Muhammadi, Martyr Major General Hussain Abshenasan, Colonel Muhammad Muhammadi once more, Brigadier General Second Class Ardeshir Zavalet, and Brigadier General Second Class Farhad Behrouzi.⁠[27] Since 2021, Colonel Ali Muhammadi has been in command of the 65th NOHED Brigade.⁠[28]