Iran displays underground missiles and threatens wider US strikes
Iran has unveiled footage of an underground missile complex while warning that American military bases beyond the Middle East could be attacked if Washington resumes hostilities against Tehran.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released images of tunnels containing ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, mobile launchers and military vehicles. The footage, circulated on Tuesday during the force's Aerospace Week, showed senior commanders inspecting what Iranian authorities described as a new missile city.
Iran has not disclosed the facility's location, dimensions or inventory. The images do not independently establish when the complex was built, how many weapons are operational or whether the systems shown could withstand another military campaign. Parts of the footage were obscured.
Major General Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, and Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Mousavi, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, appeared in the video touring the installation. Abdollahi warned that another attack on Iran would prompt a response extending beyond the region.
The warning was reinforced by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, who said American installations in European countries and distant locations could be targeted if they supported attacks on Iranian territory.
Rezaei told Al Mayadeen that Tehran would not restrict retaliation to American bases in neighbouring countries. He said military facilities from which US aircraft departed to bomb Iran could become targets, regardless of their distance from the Islamic Republic.
His remarks widened the geographical scope of Iran's declared response, although Tehran provided no independently verifiable evidence that its missiles could reach every location mentioned. The statements were conditional threats rather than announcements of attacks already undertaken.
The footage also showed missiles mounted on transport vehicles and stored alongside launch equipment. Iranian military presentations identified the complex as part of the IRGC Aerospace Force's infrastructure, but did not publish technical specifications or permit independent inspection of the installation.
Among the systems observers identified from the images were missiles resembling Iran's Fattah and Khorramshahr families. Iran has described the Fattah as a hypersonic weapon, but the video offers no basis for verifying its performance, guidance characteristics or readiness for deployment.
IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohibbi had said ahead of the unveiling that missile and drone manufacturing operations were being transferred from exposed surface installations to protected underground facilities. He portrayed the move as an effort to preserve production capacity during aerial bombardment.
Mohibbi also said Iran had removed previous restrictions on missile range. Officials did not specify a revised maximum distance or provide testing evidence supporting an expansion of operational reach. Tehran had previously referred to a self-imposed range ceiling of approximately 2,000 kilometres.
The announcements follow months of confrontation involving Iran, the United States and Israel. American and Israeli attacks have targeted Iranian military infrastructure, while Tehran has sought to demonstrate that its missile forces remain capable of responding despite damage sustained during the fighting.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran was effectively defeated militarily, a characterisation at odds with Tehran's public presentation of its remaining capabilities. Neither side has released a comprehensive, independently verified assessment of Iran's surviving missile stockpiles or launch infrastructure.
Trump also indicated that renewed American air strikes were unlikely, while maintaining pressure on Tehran. The contrasting messages underscored the uncertainty surrounding the military standoff, with Iranian commanders stressing deterrence and Washington retaining the option of further operations.
Iranian officials have described underground storage and manufacturing as central to protecting missile assets from aerial surveillance and strikes. However, footage of weapons inside hardened tunnels cannot establish the facilities' resilience, the availability of replacement components or the ability to sustain launches under attack.
The display came amid competing claims about the effectiveness of earlier strikes against Iran's missile programme. Assessing those claims is difficult because the number of launchers destroyed, repaired or replaced has not been independently established. Underground facilities can conceal equipment and complicate targeting, but their existence does not demonstrate that missiles can be launched at the rate claimed by officials. Iran has supplied no inventory figures allowing comparisons with its arsenal before the fighting.
The video included Iranian flags, Revolutionary Guard insignia and military personnel accompanying the commanders through the passages. Some weapons and equipment were deliberately blurred, limiting identification of systems. Iranian authorities have not announced whether foreign observers will be allowed access to the site.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released images of tunnels containing ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, mobile launchers and military vehicles. The footage, circulated on Tuesday during the force's Aerospace Week, showed senior commanders inspecting what Iranian authorities described as a new missile city.
Iran has not disclosed the facility's location, dimensions or inventory. The images do not independently establish when the complex was built, how many weapons are operational or whether the systems shown could withstand another military campaign. Parts of the footage were obscured.
Major General Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, and Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Mousavi, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, appeared in the video touring the installation. Abdollahi warned that another attack on Iran would prompt a response extending beyond the region.
The warning was reinforced by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, who said American installations in European countries and distant locations could be targeted if they supported attacks on Iranian territory.
Rezaei told Al Mayadeen that Tehran would not restrict retaliation to American bases in neighbouring countries. He said military facilities from which US aircraft departed to bomb Iran could become targets, regardless of their distance from the Islamic Republic.
His remarks widened the geographical scope of Iran's declared response, although Tehran provided no independently verifiable evidence that its missiles could reach every location mentioned. The statements were conditional threats rather than announcements of attacks already undertaken.
The footage also showed missiles mounted on transport vehicles and stored alongside launch equipment. Iranian military presentations identified the complex as part of the IRGC Aerospace Force's infrastructure, but did not publish technical specifications or permit independent inspection of the installation.
Among the systems observers identified from the images were missiles resembling Iran's Fattah and Khorramshahr families. Iran has described the Fattah as a hypersonic weapon, but the video offers no basis for verifying its performance, guidance characteristics or readiness for deployment.
IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohibbi had said ahead of the unveiling that missile and drone manufacturing operations were being transferred from exposed surface installations to protected underground facilities. He portrayed the move as an effort to preserve production capacity during aerial bombardment.
Mohibbi also said Iran had removed previous restrictions on missile range. Officials did not specify a revised maximum distance or provide testing evidence supporting an expansion of operational reach. Tehran had previously referred to a self-imposed range ceiling of approximately 2,000 kilometres.
The announcements follow months of confrontation involving Iran, the United States and Israel. American and Israeli attacks have targeted Iranian military infrastructure, while Tehran has sought to demonstrate that its missile forces remain capable of responding despite damage sustained during the fighting.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran was effectively defeated militarily, a characterisation at odds with Tehran's public presentation of its remaining capabilities. Neither side has released a comprehensive, independently verified assessment of Iran's surviving missile stockpiles or launch infrastructure.
Trump also indicated that renewed American air strikes were unlikely, while maintaining pressure on Tehran. The contrasting messages underscored the uncertainty surrounding the military standoff, with Iranian commanders stressing deterrence and Washington retaining the option of further operations.
Iranian officials have described underground storage and manufacturing as central to protecting missile assets from aerial surveillance and strikes. However, footage of weapons inside hardened tunnels cannot establish the facilities' resilience, the availability of replacement components or the ability to sustain launches under attack.
The display came amid competing claims about the effectiveness of earlier strikes against Iran's missile programme. Assessing those claims is difficult because the number of launchers destroyed, repaired or replaced has not been independently established. Underground facilities can conceal equipment and complicate targeting, but their existence does not demonstrate that missiles can be launched at the rate claimed by officials. Iran has supplied no inventory figures allowing comparisons with its arsenal before the fighting.
The video included Iranian flags, Revolutionary Guard insignia and military personnel accompanying the commanders through the passages. Some weapons and equipment were deliberately blurred, limiting identification of systems. Iranian authorities have not announced whether foreign observers will be allowed access to the site.