Iran unveils underground missile city with 1,700 missiles

As reports emerge of American and Israeli preparations for a possible further military confrontation, Iran has revealed a new underground missile facility belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in an attempt to demonstrate its military capabilities and readiness for another round of conflict. Footage released by the Iranian news agency Tasnim shows ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and missile launchers positioned inside the facility.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by Major General Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, and Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Mousavi, commander of the IRGC's aerospace force. The revelation comes after the IRGC announced its intention to present a new missile city alongside additional military achievements.

But the new facility is only part of a broader plan announced by Tehran. Last week, IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohebby declared that Iran has rapidly transferred production lines for missiles and drones from above-ground facilities to underground installations. According to him, Iran is no longer content with storing missiles in tunnels and bunkers, but is building underground cities where weapons can also be manufactured.

Mohebby claimed that the combination of local expertise, Iran's vast territory and its distributed production infrastructure will enable it to continue producing missiles and drones even under heavy bombardment. In this way, Tehran seeks to make clear that even strikes on production facilities and weapons depots will not necessarily halt its ability to replenish its missile stockpile.

Data on the scale of Iran's arsenal illustrates the significance of the revelation. According to an assessment by Israeli security officials published on November 3, Iran currently possesses more than 1,700 ballistic missiles with a range enabling them to reach Israeli territory. This represents a decrease of approximately 800 missiles compared to estimates of the stockpile's size before the war. Alongside these, Iran also holds short-range missiles that cannot reach Israel but can be used to strike other countries in the region.

The decline in inventory is attributed both to missile launches during recent military campaigns and to the destruction of missiles on the ground in strikes by Israel and the United States. At the same time, Iran is working in parallel to rehabilitate its military industry and reinforce damaged facilities.

According to a report published on November 3, Iran has succeeded in restoring at least part of its missile production and assembly capabilities, while transferring additional infrastructure to fortified and underground facilities. The report also noted that according to Israeli and American assessments, more than 200 of approximately 400 ballistic missile launchers in Iran's possession were destroyed during the war, but some of the remaining launchers were stored in underground facilities and returned to operation after opening entrances to tunnels that had been blocked in strikes.