Iran has announced the existence of a new large underground military complex, which it has called a “missile city.” Iranian state media have broadcast footage from inside the facility, showing ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and various launch systems. The complex is built deep inside a mountain range.
Authorities have not disclosed its exact location, according to the semi-official news agency Tasnim, cited in material broadcast by Iranian state media. According to the same sources, this is the largest underground military complex Tehran has shown so far.
It includes long tunnels and large chambers where weapons are stationed. The published footage shows senior military commanders inspecting the facilities and the weapons placed in the underground tunnels. The visit was attended by the Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, Major General Ali Abdollahi, and the commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Majid Mousavi.
The discovery was announced on November 7 by the Revolutionary Guard spokesman, Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi, as part of Aerospace Force Week. According to him, Tehran is accelerating the relocation of missile and drone production capacities from above-ground facilities to protected underground structures.
Mohebbi stressed that these complexes are not used only for storing weapons, but also include full production lines. Iran’s aim is to create large underground military industrial centers capable of continuing operations even during airstrikes. According to the Iranian official, indigenous technology, the country’s geographic extent and the ability to adapt production infrastructure give Tehran the ability to preserve weapons production capacity even under a broad bombing campaign. ## Ghalibaf warns the US In parallel with the release of footage from the military complex, Iranian parliament speaker and the country’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, issued a direct warning to the United States.
He said that any miscalculation by Washington would be met with a swift and unexpected reaction from Iran. “Do not make mistakes in your calculations. If you make a mistake, Iran will not hesitate to take a swift and unexpected defensive action.
This time, the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be the ones to determine the geography of the conflict,” Ghalibaf said, according to the semi-official news agency Tasnim. He described the inauguration of the complex as a message to Iran’s adversaries. He stressed that the country will not back away from strengthening its military and defensive capabilities despite international pressure. ## Iran’s strategy for protecting its missile arsenal The release of the latest footage comes at a time when Iran is trying to recover and strengthen its missile capabilities after damage inflicted on military facilities during clashes with Israel and the United States.
Relocating military infrastructure underground is one of the main elements of Tehran’s strategy to protect its missile arsenal and production lines from airstrikes. However, underground complexes are not considered entirely invulnerable. Previous strikes have caused damage to tunnel entrances and to the infrastructure providing access to these facilities, hindering the operation of some of them.
By publishing the new images, Tehran aims to show that, despite military strikes and international pressure, it continues to maintain considerable capacity for storing, developing and producing missile weapons.