IRGC Unveils a 'Submarine Base' at an Unknown Location

Two days before the start of Donald Trump's second presidential term in the United States, the Islamic Republic of Iran unveiled a submarine missile base of the IRGC Navy at an unspecified location in the Persian Gulf. Iranian state television reported on Saturday, January 29, that this base was constructed at a depth of 500 meters in an unknown point in the Persian Gulf. The images broadcasted in the Iranian report showed tunnels with long rows of IRGC Navy vessels named 'Tariq' that are capable of launching cruise missiles and can evade radar detection. There were also images of Hossein Salami, the commander of the IRGC, visiting this secret base during a military exercise. Salami stated that this base is one of several underground bases designed for deploying vessels equipped with long-range missiles and conducting naval battles at long distances. He emphasized that the 'youth' of the country will appear in naval battles 'against small and large enemies, with dignity and victorious.' The IRGC commander then claimed that the size and dimensions of the vessels and missiles are such that despite the numerous and long storage tunnels, there is still a 'lack of space' for military capabilities. The beginning of the army's air defense exercise came one day after the unveiling of a 'missile city' by the IRGC. According to Reuters, this action by the Islamic Republic of Iran occurred at a time when tensions between Tehran and Washington are expected to escalate. Iranian officials are concerned that Donald Trump, the President of the United States, may encourage Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, to attack Iran's nuclear facilities and intensify U.S. sanctions against Iran's oil industry through his 'maximum pressure' policy. About a week ago, Iranian state television also released a video of the IRGC commander visiting 'a missile city in the mountains,' but did not mention the location or military features of it. At the same time, the streets of Tehran witnessed a march of armed Basij members titled 'Quds Pilgrimage Exercise.' Iranian media reported within 48 hours that the joint exercise of the Air Defense Power 1403 of the army, 'with a focus on the Air Defense Force of the army, under the command and guidance of the integrated air defense network of the country,' began at dawn on Sunday, January 23, in the air defense areas of the west and north in Fordow and Khondab. The broadcast of all these images, parades, maneuvers, and exercises to showcase military power, which the Islamic Republic considers a deterrent against the U.S. and Israel, comes at a time when developments in the Middle East have weakened Iran's allied forces in the region. Additionally, Israel claims that in its November attack on Iranian military sites, it was able to destroy a significant portion of Iran's air defense capabilities.