Advisor to Qassem Soleimani: Iran Has 14 Missile Depots at Depths of 30 to 500 Meters

The senior advisor to Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), announced on Thursday that there are "14 underground depots at depths of 30 to 500 meters" across various locations in Iran for storing missile systems. According to ISNA, Brigadier General Hassan Karimpour explained that "if a missile is fired from any country towards Iran, these centers will automatically bombard all important locations of the attacking country." He described the capacity of these depots as being "as much as necessary equipment is available." Previously, in October 2015, the IRGC Aerospace Force allowed images to be taken of the IRGC's underground tunnels for the first time. These images, broadcast by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting and other media, revealed long-range ballistic missiles stored at depths of 500 meters underground. Karimpour emphasized that Iran is the "only" country on Earth that has divided its entire territory into 20 km by 20 km puzzle pieces, with "defense systems placed in the center of each piece." He noted that there are currently 3,500 defense systems operating in Iran, stating that if this number reaches 5,500, the country's defense system will be complete, preventing any aircraft from entering the Islamic Republic of Iran. The senior advisor to Soleimani asserted that "the American presence in the Middle East is being dismantled" and predicted that if the U.S. leaves the region, the first country to collapse will be Saudi Arabia. He described "Wahhabism with manifestations of Al-Qaeda and Al-Nusra" and "the Ottoman Empire led by Atatürk in Turkey" as two "hand agents" of the U.S. in the region, stating that these two movements wield two swords: the sword of ISIS in the hands of Atatürk and the sword of Al-Qaeda in the hands of Wahhabism. He predicted that "in the near future, the Ottoman Empire will move from the Middle East towards Eastern Europe." Karimpour emphasized that "the mission of ISIS in the Middle East is over" and claimed that "ISIS will be eradicated within two months, as indicated by the drop in oil prices." He referenced a fatwa by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, declaring the production and possession of nuclear weapons as forbidden, adding that "this prohibition stands, but if the leader lifts this prohibition, I, as a researcher, say that building a nuclear weapon is easier than making a pair of glasses." The Quds Force is part of the IRGC responsible for military operations outside Iran, commanded by Major General Qassem Soleimani.