Omid, whose real name cannot be used, signed up to join Iran's security forces when he was 18 years old and harbored "a deep commitment to my country." At the academy, Omid told DW, cadets were under the regime's control "day and night," from their military training through the daily prayers and speeches. "They mold the minds of the young cadets," Omid said. Some of these recruits, Omid said, eventually rise through the ranks of Iran's security apparatus to join an elite cadre of officers who plot missions, abductions and assassinations inside and outside of Iran — and have access to unlimited resources and personnel.
And, he said, he attended their meetings. When Omid, a burly man who carries scars accumulated during his decades-long service as a commander with Iran's elite special forces, reached out in early 2026, deliberations ensued: Could he have been sent to feed DW misinformation and lies to discredit the broadcaster, whose Farsi service is officially sanctioned in Iran? Could he be trying to harm DW or its Iranian employees?
Over the course of months, journalists from DW's investigative unit and Persian department corresponded with him. Omid shared records and photos of his training, which ranged from sniper practice and surveillance to street fighting, riot control and parachuting courses. He also provided photos and videos, documents and locations of a secret monitoring center and housing compounds reserved for high-ranking members of the Iranian security forces.
United in their absolute loyalty to Iran's supreme leader, he said, a clandestine circle of high-ranking officers plot and execute the murder and abductions of the regime's opponents. Omid's testimony offered a rare insight into Iran's powerful and opaque security apparatus — and into the lives of the men at the core of the Islamic Republic — allowing DW to piece together a picture of how the regime has maintained deeply loyal forces despite widespread protest movements, international sanctions, rising inflation and recent attacks by its two main enemies, Israel and the United States, that eliminated much of its top military and political leadership. DW corroborated substantial parts of Omid's account with documents, photos, videos and interviews with experts.
An intermediary connected the investigative team with a second high-ranking defector, whose account corroborated key details provided by Omid. Though DW confirmed both men's identities, we are withholding certain details to protect them and their families. In the past, Iran has gone after dissidents and opposition activists abroad, including journalists.
We asked the Embassy or Iran in Berlin and the Supreme Leader’s Office to respond to our findings. The Supreme Leader's Office did not reply. The embassy in Berlin declined to address the individual allegations, stating that "the Islamic Republic of Iran firmly rejects these allegations and the conclusions drawn from them." As a high-ranking member of the special forces, Omid had access to the privileges the regime often bestows upon its own: From financial incentives and lucrative economic contracts for their own enterprises to special housing compounds, with their own mosques, schools and hospitals, where personal satellite dishes are banned and religious observance is enforced.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
