Senior IRGC Official: Iran's Long-Range Missiles Stored 500 Meters Deep

The commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran stated that Iran's "long-range" missiles are stored "500 meters deep under tall mountains" and are "mounted on launchers at various ranges, ready to be fired with hands on the trigger." According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Amir Ali Hajizadeh emphasized on Wednesday, October 22, that Iran's long-range missile bases are "500 meters deep under tall mountains" and are "prepared to confront enemy threats in all provinces and cities" of the country. He added, "The missiles are mounted on launchers at various ranges in all bases, ready to be fired, and we are only waiting for the order from the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces." Hajizadeh mentioned that starting next year, a "new and advanced generation of liquid and solid-fuel long-range missiles" will replace the current productions of the country. For the first time, the IRGC Aerospace Force has allowed filming of one of its missile bases in the mountains, which was broadcast by IRIB on Wednesday. According to Fars News Agency, a large number of "Qadr" ballistic and long-range missiles can be seen in these "twisted tunnels." Fars previously noted that the "Shahab 3" missiles, with a range of 1150 kilometers, have the "Qadr" missile as a more advanced version, which operates with liquid fuel and has a range of 1650 kilometers. The news agency stated that liquid-fuel missiles require a lot of preparation time due to the need to charge fuel in tanks before launch. Fars reported that to address this issue, "underground silos" for launching ballistic missiles have been built in various locations across Iran, allowing charged and ready-to-fire missiles to be stored for several months. This senior commander in the IRGC had previously stated on Tuesday, November 10, 2014, that Iran has produced "solid-fuel multi-stage missiles" with a range of 2000 kilometers and an accuracy of 10 meters, which "can target Israel." Several high-ranking officials in the IRGC have announced that the Islamic Republic will continue its missile program following the Vienna nuclear agreement. Meanwhile, the Iranian Minister of Defense announced on Sunday, October 19, that the long-range missile "Emad," a new generation of Iran's ground-to-ground ballistic missiles, has been successfully tested. In response to this event, Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, stated that there is "strong evidence" indicating that Iran's missile test violates United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding long-range missiles. However, Iranian officials have stated that the test of this missile does not violate the Vienna nuclear agreement and is "outside the scope or jurisdiction of the Security Council resolution and its annexes."