Iranian underground missile bases

According to Iranian authorities, Iranian underground missile bases or silos (Persian: پایگاه های موشکی زیرزمینی ایران), also known as the Missile Cities (Persian: شهرهای موشکی) exist in all provinces and cities of Iran.[1][2][3] The bases contain road-mobile transporter erector launcher trucks, along with other hardware, and, due to the lack of adequate ventilation, could not be as far underground as claimed by Iranian sources. A video from one of the missile sites was released for the first time on 14 October 2015 by Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of Aerospace Force of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution.[4] This was just a few days after news of the testing of a new-generation medium-range ballistic missile, the Emad, was broadcast by the state media of Iran.[5] Amir Ali Hajizadeh stated that: "Iranian missiles of varying ranges are ready to be launched from underground bases once Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei orders to do so," adding that "Iran created missile bases in all the provinces and cities throughout the country at a depth of 500 meters."[2]

Underground missile bases
Missile Cities
پایگاه های موشکی زیرزمینی ایران
Unknown, multiple locations in Iran
TypeMissile bases
Heightzero, 500 m deep
Site information
OperatorIRGC Aerospace Force

Bases were again displayed on TV on January 5, 2016, amid heightened tensions with Saudi Arabia following the execution of Shi`ìte cleric Nimr al-Nimr.[6] The second-in-command of the Revolutionary Guards boasted that Iran's depots and underground facilities were so full that it didn't know where to store new missiles.[7]

Analysis

The release of the footage of the Iranian underground missile bases provided the situation for the lawmakers to show that the July nuclear deal had not weakened the military of Iran and it was a show of strength by Iran in response to the western powers, especially the US, speaking of military options against Iran in spite of the nuclear deal, according to The Guardian.[2] Hajizadeh said that Iran was not seeking to start a war but "if enemies make a mistake, missile bases will erupt like a volcano from the depth of earth."[8]

According to Tal Inbar a senior Israeli defense expert and head of the Space Research Center at the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies in Herzliya, this missile base "enables the Islamic Republic to store and covertly fire surface-to-surface missiles." He described the underground facility, whose location is unknown, as a "complex system of enormous tunnels". He also added that those bases could be used by Iran for "a surprise barrage missile attack".[9]

See also

References
  1. "Iran's Elite Revolutionary Guard Showcases Secret Underground Missile Base". HaAretz. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  2. "Iran reveals huge underground missile base with broadcast on state TV". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  3. "Iran broadcasts footage of underground missile base". The National, Abu Dhabi Media. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  4. "Iran Unveils Massive Underground Missile Base + VIDEO". Al Alam International News Channel, Teheran. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  5. Ford, Dana (16 October 2015). "Iran broadcasts rare images of underground missile bases". CNN. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  6. "Iran Offers A Rare Peek At An Underground 'Missile City'". NPR. Jan 7, 2016. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016.
  7. "Iran unveils second underground missile, likely to irk U.S." Reuters. Jan 5, 2016. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016.
  8. Berenson, Tessa (15 October 2015). "Iran Reveals Secret Underground Missile Base". Time. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  9. Lappin, Yaakov (16 October 2015). "Iranian underground missile bases enable 'surprise launches'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
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