What are the “underground missile cities” of Iran and why they represent a threat to Israel

Interior of one of the "missile cities" — Photo foot, Interior of one of the “missile cities” where a large number of Kheibar Shekan ballistic missiles are stored.

- Author, Juan Francisco Alonso
- Author's title, BBC News World
20 June 2025, 16:46 gmt

Updated 1 hour

“The land contributes to victory.”

Iran's army has followed this observation of the Prussian military Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831), who in his treaty “of war” indicated that rivers, forests, mountains and other geographical accidents, in addition to hindering “the enemy's progress”, they also provide “the opportunity to organize us without being seen.”

Thus, the Iranian military have taken advantage of the steep mountains that cross the country to build under them a network of tunnels in which they store missiles of different size and capacity.

These underground facilities have been baptized with the name of “missile cities.” And months before Israel began bombing Iran, under the argument that he wanted to “neutralize” his nuclear program, military leaders of the Persian country presented the last one.

Interior of another 2021 missile city — Photo foot, Iran has assured that it has “many” of these facilities and that many of them are buried up to half a kilometer underground.

More than a warehouse

The term “missile cities” is used by the body of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (CGRI) to describe the underground rocket bases that have been building for decades.

These facilities consist of a series of vast, deep and interconnected tunnels that cross the country, often located in mountainous areas, explained Farzad Seifikaran of the Persian service of the BBC a few months ago.

The facilities are stored and prepared for their launch Balistic and Cruise missiles, and other strategic weapons such as drones and air defense systems.

In a video broadcast last February by the CGRI, you can see images on a fast camera with almost a dozen trucks with rocket launches placed in their trailers, which are parked in sinuous tunnels.

Then the shot moves to a beach, where a missile is triggered from the back of a truck to the sea.

However, in the BBC Persian service article, it is recalled that Iranian military commanders have assured that these “missile cities” are not only rocket storage places, but some of them also serve as factories “for the production and preparation of rockets to enter into operation.”

The exact location of these bases and also their number is unknown. However, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the CGRI aerospace force, when presenting the last of these facilities, said they have “many.”

Hajizadeh was one of the high Iranian commanders who died at the beginning of Israel's current military campaign against the Ayatolás regime.

Trucks with rockets ready to be triggered. — Photo foot, Dozens of trucks loaded with missiles of different size are located in a kilometers of tunnels, according to the Iranian authorities.

Armored and hidden

Iranian military authorities have built these “underground missile cities” with the aim of protecting them from possible attacks by Israel such as those that have been happening since June 13.

“Iran built these foundations for storing and being able to launch their missiles without being able to be detected by the satellites,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, director of the Iran program of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy, a study center based in Washington (United States), told BBC Mundo.

The late general Hajizadeh, in the video in which he showed the last of these facilities, said that it was built 500 meters deep and that it had been reinforced under several concrete covers.

If these characteristics were true, even the US army would have trouble destroying them with their most powerful bombs, admitted Michael Ellmer, former US Navy infant and analyst at the London intelligence firm Grey Dynamics, in an article published in 2021.

“However, to impact the launch bays that the Iranians have drilled in the rock (to launch some of their missiles) these bases could be disabled,” he explained.

However, Ben Treeblu said that the main problem to destroy them that Israel or the US has to face is to find them.

“You have to detect them first. Until now it is not known where they are,” he explained to BBC Mundo.

A plane in an Iranian bunker in 2023 — Photo foot, Iran have also built bunkers where to protect their combat aircraft and warfalls.

In similar terms Patrycja Bazylczyk, director of the Defense Defense Project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), another headquarters -based studies center in the United States.

According to Bazylczyk, “underground objectives are difficult, but not impossible to attack.”

“Israeli aerial superiority should allow its combat aircraft equipped with bombs to attack these 'missile cities', even more degrading Iranian inventories,” the expert told BBC Mundo.

But they will not only have their missile bases buried, but also part of their fleet of combat planes and even some vessels.

Map with the scope of the different types of missiles that Iran has

Of all sizes

In the images disseminated by Tehran on these underground bases, Kheibar Shekan, Haj Qasem, Emad, Sejjil, Qadar-H and Paveh cruise missiles are observed.

Iran has boasted that with these rockets could attack countries that are up to 2,000 kilometers away; In other words, I could reach Israel, Saudi Arabia, India, Russia or China.

The EMAD ballistic missiles were used in the attack that Iran launched against Israel in April 2024 and caused damage to the Navatim Air Base, in the center of the country.

However, during the current missile conflict such as Sejjil have also been used by the Iranian army, although they have been neutralized by Israeli anti -aircraft defenses, according to the reports of the United States War Studies Institute (ISW).

The Sejjil is a 18 -meter length ballistic rocket, of two stages, which was developed by Iranian scientists in the 1990s and is one of the largest reach (2,000 kilometers away).

The use of the Sejjil seems to be the demonstration of the problems that I will be facing to respond to the Israeli attacks, since it is having to shoot its rockets from more inside positions of its territory.

The Israel Defense Forces (FDI) ensure that they have destroyed between half and two thirds of Iranian missile launches since the start of their current campaign against the Ayatolás regime.

Remains of an Israel missile — Photo foot, Iran has triggered several of his greatest and most powerful missiles against Israel, some of whom has managed to cross the famous iron dome.

No connections, so far

Regarding the use of the Sejjil missile, from the CSIS they warned that this rocket and other models available in the Iranian arsenal could carry a nuclear eye, although currently they only carry traditional explosives.

However, this leads to the next question: Are the “missile cities” connected to the controversial Iranian nuclear program that Israel wants to destroy? The experts consulted by BBC Mundo say that there is no evidence of this.

“The main Iranian missile bases, such as Kermanshah's, are not directly linked to the nuclear program, since the missiles that house are conventional,” said Sidharth Kaushal, who is a researcher at the Royal Institute of United States of the United Kingdom (Rusi).

“That said, missiles like the Shahab-3 or the Khorramshahr would probably be candidates for the launch of a nuclear eye, if they will develop one,” he explained to BBC Mundo.

For his part, Ben Tueblu said: “If I would like to become a weapon, its nuclear program already has the rockets for it.”

View of an Iranian missile being intercepted by one from Israel on Tel Aviv — Photo foot, Several Iranian missiles have managed to penetrate the famous Israeli defenses.

Injured, but not liquidated

The US intelligence estimated that Iran had about 3,000 missiles of different caliber and rank, the bulk of which would be in these underground bases, the ISW published.

The Israeli army, on the other hand, believes that the ram arsenal of Tehran is 2,000 and recalled that it has already used some 370 missiles since June 13.

From this study center, they consider that the loss of a significant number of mobile launch platforms, anti -aircraft defense systems and military commanders seem to be hindering the Iranian response, as reveals the fact that the number of missiles that has fired against Israel in recent days is less than the first day.

However, experts consulted by the BBC said that the so -called “missile cities” continue to represent an important threat to Israel.

“These facilities are and will certainly be an objective for Israel, because from them you can shoot missiles that can reach their territory,” said Ben Treeblu.

A similar opinion gave Bazylczyk, who said: “The destruction of these facilities would further limit the possibilities of the Iranian regime of responding to Israeli military actions.”

This week Israeli aircraft and missiles attacked three of these underground bases located in Jorramabad, Kermanshah and Tabriz, according to a CSIS report.