Iran unveils an underground 'missile city' as its armed forces chief warns a response to any new attack will extend beyond the region
Iran's Revolutionary Guard displayed what it said was a new underground 'missile city' on Tuesday, in state television footage showing the armed forces chief of staff, General Ali Abdollahi, touring tunnels holding ballistic and cruise missiles and their launchers. Abdollahi warned that if Iran comes under renewed attack, its response will extend beyond the region, and that 'surprises in the next war will be revealed one after another'. The footage gave no location and did not say when the visit took place, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the date or location.
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Key points
- State TV showed the armed forces chief touring a new underground IRGC facility holding ballistic and cruise missiles and launchers.
- Abdollahi warned a response to any renewed attack would extend beyond the region, with 'surprises' to come 'one after another'.
- The Guards say they have moved some missile and drone production underground to protect it from airstrikes.
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- The footage gave no location or date, and its claims about the facility have not been independently verified.
What happened
The unveiling came a day after President Trump said he plans to hold off on new military strikes against Iran for the time being, following appeals from regional countries — and while Iran and the United States remain at odds over Tehran's two-day peace talks proposal, which Washington's Secretary of State has rejected on its stated conditions.
Iran has one of the largest missile programmes in the Middle East and has repeatedly displayed underground facilities it calls missile cities. Tuesday's display, during the Aerospace Force's annual week, paired the footage with the most senior uniformed officer's warning about the geography of a future war.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- That state television broadcast the tour on Tuesday, and that Abdollahi and Qalibaf made the warnings in their own words.
- That the footage disclosed neither the facility's location nor the date of the visit, and Reuters could not verify either.
What we don't know yet
- Where the facility is, when the footage was filmed, and how many missiles it holds.
- Whether the missiles shown are new types, as Tehran's description suggests — they were not identified in the footage.
- Any US or Israeli response to the unveiling and the warnings.
Claim by claim
Show all claims (5)
Why this label: The broadcast and its limits are the Associated Press' account, read in full; Reuters' report of the same footage likewise says the date and location could not be independently verified. What the footage shows is carried as what Tehran displayed, not as a verified inventory.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Abdollahi's words are his own on-record statement at the unveiling, reported by the Jerusalem Post and by Iranian state media (Press TV). The fact that he said it is verified by his own words; whether Iran could or would carry the warning out is a separate question and is not established.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Mohebbi's account is the Guards' own stated position, reported by Tasnim and carried by the Jerusalem Post. It is carried as the Guards' claim about their own programme.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Qalibaf's words are his own published message, reported by Press TV. They are carried as his stated position.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The footage is edited and partly blurred, no location or date was given, and no outside inspection or independent assessment of this facility appears in the reporting read. Numbers circulating from other assessments are not carried here.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
Why it matters
Warnings about widening a war are aimed at the capitals deciding whether to strike again. Tehran is pairing its case for talks with a display meant to say its missile force survived the last war, is being rebuilt underground, and could answer beyond the region — a claim aimed at Washington and Jerusalem, neither of which had responded in the reporting read.
Background
President Trump says he plans to hold off on new strikes on Iran for now, after appeals from regional countries including Qatar.
The Guards unveil the underground facility during Aerospace Force Week; Abdollahi and Qalibaf issue their warnings.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
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Published in Checking state — the broadcast and the commanders' warnings are on the record, and the facility's location, the footage's date and any US or Israeli response are still awaited.