New Delhi: Iran recently revealed the existence of a hidden missile storage facility, further asserting its military capabilities. The announcement was made on Friday. It showed the production of new “special missiles,” according to reports from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-linked Tasnim news. A video aired on Iranian state television IRIB showed senior IRGC officials, including Commander Major General Hossein Salami and Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, inspecting the underground base, CNN reported.
Hajizadeh referred to the facility as a “dormant volcano,” indicating its strategic importance and potential for rapid activation. Semi-official news agency Mehr News also reported that some of Iran’s missile operations against Israel in October and April were launched from this underground site.
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Iran has unveiled a massive new Underground Missile City
Thousands of Ballistic Missiles are stored deep inside a Mountain, footage shows just 10% of the entire underground missile complex pic.twitter.com/P9rEd5MLiF
— Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) January 10, 2025
Iran’s IRGC to unveil new missile
Apart from the missile facility, Salami said that the IRGC Aerospace Force is working on new missile technologies. On Monday, General Ali Mohammad Naeini said that Iran would soon conduct military drills, which would showcase “missile and drone cities,” including an underground base storing missiles and another location in southern Iran for naval vessels.
The developments are part of Iran’s ongoing military exercises, with a large-scale Basij (volunteer) force drill involving 110,000 participants held in Tehran on Friday. Iran has ramped up such operations in recent weeks, aiming to show its resilience and deterrence in the face of regional challenges, the CNN report said.
Iran’s regional influence remains
Despite setbacks such as attacks on Iranian-backed forces in Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen, as well as the erosion of support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iran insists its regional influence remains intact. Salami said that Iran’s deterrence strategy is independent of external actions.
In response to strikes by Israel on Iranian missile sites in October, which targeted both missile production and air defence systems, Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the attacks as violations of international law and reaffirmed its right to self-defence. With the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump looming, US officials are hopeful about brokering a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas before Trump assumes office on January 20.
