An image grab taken from footage broadcast on the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) yesterday purportedly shows missile launchers in an underground tunnel at an unknown location in Iran.

A Revolutionary Guards commander says numerous such tunnels exist across the country at a depth of 500m

Agencies
Tehran


Iranian state television broadcast unprecedented footage yesterday of a deep underground tunnel packed with missiles and launcher units, which officials said could be used if “enemies make a mistake”.
The pictures were released just three days after Iran tested a new long-range missile that the United States said may have breached a UN Security Council resolution.
The footage also came a day after Iran’s parliament approved the country’s July 14 nuclear deal with six world powers.
Iranian officials have said the nuclear agreement will not affect its military forces, particularly its ballistic missile programme.
The missile launch and underground footage followed pressure from lawmakers to prove the military had not been weakened by the deal.          
The tunnel, hundreds of metres long and about 10m high, was filled with missiles and hardware.
Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace division, said numerous such tunnels exist across the country at a depth of 500m.
“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 said, according to the Guards’ website.
The commander said the missiles were ready to be launched from all over Iran, on the order of “the supreme commander-in-chief”, 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 the current weapons next year.
The commander seemed to suggest the show of strength was in response to Western powers, especially the US, which despite the nuclear deal, have said options against Iran, including the military one, remain on the table.
“Those who pin hope on options on the table should only have a look at the Islamic Republic’s army options under the table.”
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”.
The US on Tuesday said Tehran may have breached a Security Council resolution during Sunday’s test of the new Emad 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.
Ballistic missile tests by Iran are banned under Security Council resolution 1929, which dates from 2010 and remains valid until the July 14 nuclear deal goes into effect.
Once the deal takes effect, Iran will still be “called upon” not to undertake any ballistic missiles work designed to deliver nuclear weapons for a period of up to eight years, according to a Security Council resolution adopted in July.
The resolution says that when the deal is in effect countries will be allowed to transfer missile technology and heavy weapons to Iran on a case-by-case basis with council approval.
However, at the time the resolution was drafted, a US official called this provision meaningless and said the United States would veto any suggested transfer of missile technology to Iran.
White House spokesman Earnest made clear countries could more to stop the flow of ballistic missile technology to Iran.
“That is work that requires international co-operation,” he said, adding that Washington was ready to work with Gulf allies to counter Iran’s ballistic missile programme.