Iran Unveils Latest Massive Underground Missile Facility

Latest Developments

• Another ‘Missile City’ Revealed:  Iran released video footage on March 25 of what it claims is a large underground missile facility, marking the fourth of its kind revealed by the Islamic Republic in 2025. The footage featured Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of Tehran’s Armed Forces, along with Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Forces, touring the missile-filled structure.
• Multiple Munition Types Shown: The video showcased multiple types of medium-range ballistic missiles, including the liquid propellant Ghadr H (1087-mile range) and Emad (1056-1243-mile range) missiles as well as the solid propellant Haj Qassem (870-mile range), Kheibar Shekan (901-mile range), and Sejjil (1243-mile range) missiles. The video also showed a land attack cruise missile known as the Paveh (1025-mile range). The Ghadr H, Kheibar Shekan, Paveh, and the Emad missiles featured in the April and October 2024 Iranian missile attacks against Israel.
• Bagheri References Previous Attacks on Israel: In the video, Bagheri claimed that “Iran’s iron fist is … ten times stronger than True Promise I,” the regime’s campaign name for missile attacks against Israel.  He went on to say that “all the dimensions that are required for generating a [military] capability that is 10 times [stronger than] the one deployed during Operation True Promise II [have] been created.” Bagheri was seen trampling an Israeli flag within the facility, but notably the American flag—which has been present and similarly violated on previous occasions  in previous facility unveilings—was absent.

FDD Expert Response

“Iran continues to improve the size and quality of its ballistic missile arsenal, the largest in the Middle East. For the last decade however, the Islamic Republic has been both talking about and selectively revealing underground missile depots and bases from where the regime is producing, storing, moving, and even firing ballistic missiles. Why are more of these facilities being revealed now? Iran’s drive to signal a burgeoning underground network appears motivated by the success of Israel in 2024 to strike above ground targets across the country with relative ease. By burying, hardening, and dispersing its projectiles Iran is trying to take the military option off the table for Israel.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow

“Iran retains a large missile arsenal and is rebuilding some of the missile and air defense capabilities that Israel struck in October. The United States and Israel should be expediting and deepening combined military planning, intelligence sharing, security assistance, and military exercises to bolster American diplomacy, reinforce deterrence, strengthen military readiness, and make Tehran think twice about sprinting toward a nuclear weapon.” — Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power

“While the United States and Israel have demonstrated an impressive ability to shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles, the depletion of interceptors remains a risk. The Pentagon should ensure that any troops sent into harm’s way deploy alongside air defenses to protect them against Iranian attacks, whether conducted by ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, or drones. The deep craters and destroyed sleeping quarters at Al-Asad Airbase after Iran’s 2020 attack should serve as a potent reminder of the dangers facing U.S. forces.” — Ryan Brobst, Senior Research Analyst

“The Iranian regime is addicted to exaggeration, of reifying half-baked ideas into awesome displays of power. Otherwise, why would anyone in the ruling circle want to advertise targets to the Israeli, let alone the American, air forces after Israel’s strikes against Iran in October 2024. To borrow from Jim Croce, if a fight broke out between Iran and either Israel or the United States, the clerical regime would look like a jigsaw puzzle with a lot of pieces gone.” — Reuel Marc Gerecht, Resident Scholar

FDD Background and Analysis

“America Needs Israel to Have the JASSM-ER,” by Ryan Brobst, Bradley Bowman, and RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

“Ship Carrying Chemical for Missile Development Docks in Iran,” by Behnam Ben Taleblu

“Ballistic Missiles Allow Iran to Act More Boldly,” by Behnam Ben Taleblu

“Iran Unveils New Missile It Claims Is Hypersonic,” FDD Flash Brief

“Arsenal” by Behnam Ben Taleblu