Iran Showcases Underground Missile Depot

After Iran announced the testing of a new missile system the international community responded with its concern over the display, even calling it a violation of a Security Council resolution. What was really different this time was that media outlets close to the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) posted images and video of an underground missile depot.

The commander of the aerospace division of the IRGC General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh as quoted in Sepah News website (an official IRGC news site) revealed the underground missile depot and said, “The underground long-range missile bases present in all provinces and cities of this country are ready and deployed 500 meters underground in high mountains of this country. This is the first time that only the national media (i.e., national Iranian radio and television network known as Seda va Simaye Jomhurie Eslami) has been allowed to take photographs and images of one of the missile bases inside mountains. The missiles, with various ranges, are deployed on launchers, ready to be launched while fingers are on the triggers awaiting the orders of the supreme commander.”

In reference to what he called “security and stability of the country,” he added, “Iran is not the initiator of any war but if the enemies make a mistake the missiles will erupt from the depths of the earth like a volcano and it will be devastating for the enemy.”

Along with these remarks the television network showed images of what it said was an underground missile bunker. Fars, another IRGC-affiliated news agency wrote in a report, “The winding tunnels show a large number of long-range missiles – in this case the Ghadar missile. This is a ballistic long-range missile which have been presented in two models, F and H, with a range of 2,000 and 1,700 kilometers respectively. Another important long-range ballistic missile is the Sejil with a range of 2,000 kilometers.” This official also said that the new generation of missiles would start replacing the current ones next year and added, “There are few towns in the country that do not have a missile base. Some of the tunnels are 500 meters deep under mountains.”

Last week, Iran’s minister of defense IRGC General had announced the testing of a new long-range missile called Emad, and had warned, “We do not seek anyone’s permission to increase our defense and missile capabilities and forcefully pursue our defense and especially missile capabilities.”

This test was followed by a statement by the US Department of State which read that the test would be reviewed at the next UN Security Council meeting. DOS spokesman John Kirby had stressed that if the Council determined that the tests were in violation to the Security Council resolutions then appropriate responses would be taken by the UN.

Following this, Hamid-Reza Asefi, the former spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said that Iran did not view UN Security Resolutions to have any credibility and view their restrictions to be oppressive. He further said, “The announcement of the test on the very day that the resolution was approved (by Iran’s Guardian Council) is not coincidental and sends a special message.” Elsewhere in his remarks he said Iran “will not retreat from its high-level policies in the region so that the world does not conclude that the JCPOA (the July nuclear deal between Iran and the 6 major world powers) provides the ground for (foreign) intervention in Iran and it is assumed that the Islamic republic will forego its security and defense postures.”

The UN Security Council resolution that approved the JCPOA on July 20, 2015 contained provisions for Iran to restrain its missile activities. That was followed by calls from Iranian hardliners to resume their missile tests to indicate that Iran would not be retreating from its programs.

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