Iran unveils new underground missile base

The Aerospace Division of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has unveiled a “missile megacity,” another one among its hundreds-strong such facilities.

The facility was unveiled with Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri and the Aerospace Division’s Commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh in attendance.

Footage published across various Iranian news outlets showed the top brass touring the sprawling center that houses thousands of surgical strike ballistic missiles such as Kheybar Shekan, Martyr Haj Qassem, Qadr-H, Sejjil, and Emad.

Among the projectiles, Iran’s Kheybar Shekan-1 missile is credited with being capable of defeating the United States much-vaunted THAAD missile system, while Kheybar Shekan-2 has been developed so it can evade the system. The American missile system’s projectiles are said to enjoy destructive capability against targets lying as far as 200 kilometers away.

Martyr Haj Qassem among the missiles has been codenamed after the Islamic Republic’s top anti-terror commander, General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in early 2020 in an American aerial attack against Baghdad amid his instrumental role in defeating foreign-backed Takfiri terrorists across the region.

The Qadr-H missile that can fly as far as 1,700 kilometers as well as the Emad and Sejjil missiles have also been rated as effective medium-range ballistic projectiles in the country’s firepower.

Last year, the Islamic Republic demonstrated its military might with Operation True Promise I and II, retaliatory strikes launched in response to Israeli aggression.

The operations, carried out using hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones, showcased Iran's ability to strike Israeli military and intelligence targets with surgical accuracy.

Iranian officials have underscored that the country only deployed a fraction of its firepower during the dual reprisal.