Iran unveils underground ‘missile city’, warns US of strikes across region & beyond | India News
Iran has released footage of a vast underground military facility displaying ballistic and cruise missiles, as its military leadership warned that American forces across the Middle East and beyond could come under attack if the conflict with the US resumes.The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) unveiled the facility, which it described as a new underground ‘missile city’, during its Aerospace Week. The footage, released by Iranian state-linked media, showed long rows of missiles and launch systems stored inside tunnels.The unveiling was attended by IRGC Aerospace Force commander Brig Gen Seyyed Majid Mousavi and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Maj Gen Ali Abdollahi. The facility’s location, the number of weapons stored there and its operational capabilities have not been independently confirmed.Iran said the underground complex contained several types of ballistic and cruise missiles. Among the weapons shown were the Fattah, which Tehran describes as a hypersonic missile, and the long-range Khorramshahr.Some weapons in the footage were blurred, apparently to conceal details. A portrait of Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, regarded as the father of Iran’s missile programme, was also visible inside the facility, along with images of Mojtaba Khamenei and IRGC flags.
Iran warns US against renewed military action
Mousavi used the unveiling to issue a warning to Iran’s adversaries, saying the country was prepared to respond to threats across the region and beyond.“If necessary, we will bring all of their capacities in the region and beyond under our fire, and leave nothing for the enemy but defeat,” he said.Abdollahi praised Iran’s missile crews and claimed that the US had failed to weaken the country despite deploying large quantities of advanced weapons. He also warned that Iran had more military capabilities to reveal.The announcement came amid similar warnings from Iran’s political leadership. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, claimed that the war had already damaged the US government and urged Washington to accept Iran’s conditions for ending the conflict.Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Israel of trying to draw the US into a prolonged war with Iran. He said the underground facility demonstrated Tehran’s ability to develop advanced military technology even while facing attacks.
Iran’s big claims on missile production
Iran has repeatedly presented its underground military facilities as a way to protect its weapons and production capabilities from air strikes.IRGC spokesman Brig Gen Hossein Mohebbi had earlier said that missile and drone manufacturing lines had been shifted from surface locations to underground complexes. He described them as “missile production cities” rather than simply storage facilities.Mohebbi argued that Iran’s domestic expertise, large territory and flexible infrastructure would allow it to continue manufacturing weapons even under heavy bombardment. However, these claims have not been independently verified.The extent of the damage caused by earlier strikes and the number of Iranian missiles and launchers still available remain unclear. While some assessments suggest that a large proportion of underground facilities remain operational, estimates of surviving launch systems vary.The latest unveiling is intended to demonstrate that Iran can preserve its missile capabilities despite sustained military pressure. It also highlights Tehran’s strategy of moving weapons and production facilities underground to make them harder to locate and destroy.
Trump says Iran’s military is effectively over
The unveiling comes as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict continue, with US President Donald Trump striking a more confident tone about the situation.“Iran militarily is effectively over,” Trump told reporters at the White House after meeting Qatar’s prime minister. He also said there was “positive momentum” behind efforts to end the conflict.
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Renewed American strikes were “highly unlikely”, he said, although the US remained “locked and loaded” if circumstances changed.US secretary of state Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said economic pressure was beginning to affect Tehran. He argued that Iran needed money for its nuclear programme and to support groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Shia militias.The economic pressure has also affected ordinary Iranians, with rising prices and inflation adding to the difficulties faced by families.Qatar, which has played a mediating role in the crisis, said it was continuing efforts to bring the uncertainty to an end. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ibrahim bin Sultan Al-Hashmi said there were “positive reactions from both sides”, but warned that the approaching winter and continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz were increasing the cost of the crisis.
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