Iran unveiled underground silos on Monday that would make its missiles less vulnerable to attack, marking the country’s latest show of force in the long standoff with the West over its nuclear program.
State television broadcast images of an unspecified number of silos deep underground, saying they held medium- and long-range missiles ready to hit distant targets. Subterranean silos are considered harder to destroy than surface installations, and Iran hailed them as a defensive asset meant to thwart attackers.
Col. Asghar Qelichkhani said the silos “function as a swift-reaction unit.” State TV quoted him as saying that the missiles were permanently in the vertical position and “ready to hit the predetermined targets.”
The silos were presented as Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards began 10 days of military exercises.
Western powers have long cited evidence that Iran was investigating the design of nuclear warheads for its missiles, a charge Tehran denies. It insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Western news organizations have reported sketchy evidence of the existence of Iranian missile silos near Tabriz and Khorramabad in northwest Iran. The presentation on Monday seemed to confirm the veracity of the scattered reports, if not the exact locations of the silos.
Last year, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, an arms analysis group in London, reported “emerging evidence” of Iranian silos that could fire missiles at Iraq, Israel, Turkey and countries throughout the Persian Gulf. It said the most logical reason for building silos was “to prepare to field larger missiles,” rather than creating rocky shields for underground forces.
Large missiles require fixed deployments in the form of launching pads or silos, whereas smaller ones can be fired from mobile platforms.
The state TV report showed footage of an underground launching pad for what it called the Shahab-3 missile, which has a range of about 1,250 miles. The report also showed a large metal roof opening atop the silo to allow the firing of the missile.
During previous drills, Iran has repeatedly shown the Shahab-3 resting atop a huge mobile transporter and launcher that has more than a dozen wheels.
Monday’s television report said the silos were linked to a missile control center. The commander of the Guards’ Aerospace Force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, praised the silos as a crucial asset in Iran’s standoff with the West. With these installations, he said, “we are certain that we can confront unequal enemies and defend the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Another unidentified Guards officer told state television that “only few countries in the world possess the technology to construct underground missile silos. The technology required for that is no less complicated than building the missile itself.”
Israel, which views Iran’s nuclear program as an existential threat, has accused Tehran of receiving assistance from North Korea in building underground missile sites.
But Colonel Qelichkhani, the spokesman for the war games, said the silos were based on Iranian technology.
Tehran is calling the war games “The Great Prophet Six” and says they will include tests of long-range missiles like the Sajjil, which has a longer range than that of the Shahab-3.
