Tehran reveals massive stockpile of missiles in tunnels
Thu, 15 Oct 2015
Iranian television on Wednesday showed footage of an underground facilities full of missiles and launcher units, which officials said could be used if “enemies make a mistake”.
The images were released just three days after Iran tested a new long-range missile that the US said may have breached a UN Security Council resolution. Iranian officials said the nuclear agreement would not affect its military forces, particularly its ballistic missile program.
The missile launch and underground footage followed pressure from lawmakers to prove the military had not been weakened by the agreement signed in July.
The tunnel, hundreds of metres long and about 10 meters high, was filled with missiles and hardware.
Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division, said numerous such tunnels existed across the country at a depth of 500 meters.
“The Islamic Republic’s long-range missile bases are stationed and ready under the high mountains in all the country’s provinces and cities,” he was quoted as saying, according to the division’s website.
The commander said the missiles were ready to be launched from all over Iran, on the order of Iran's leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “This is a sample of our massive missile bases,” he said, adding that “a new and advanced generation of long-range liquid- and solid-fuel missiles” would start to replace existing weapons next year.
Hajizadeh said Iran would not start any war but “if enemies make a mistake, missile bases will erupt like a volcano from the depth of earth”.
US says Iranian missile test might have violated UN sanctions
The US on Tuesday said Tehran may have breached a Security Council resolution during Sunday’s test of the new Imad missile. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said there were “strong indications” that Tehran “did violate UN Security Council resolutions that pertain to Iran’s ballistic missile activities”.
Under a resolution passed days after the nuclear deal was reached, Iran was barred by the Security Council from developing missiles “designed to carry nuclear warheads”. However, the White House insisted the launch would have no impact on the nuclear agreement which is due to be formally implemented by the end of this year.
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