Iran has shown off a vast “missile city” complex in an ominous video, revealing a vast stockpile of weapons. The clip, published by IRNA, shows Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the IRGC Aerospace Forces commander, riding through the tunnel on a military vehicle passing rows of missiles and truck mounted launchers, as per The Times. According to the state-controlled agency, the tunnel contains “thousands of precision-guided missiles such as ‘Emad’, ‘Sejil’, ‘Qadr H’, ‘Kheibar Shekan’, and ‘Haj Qassem’.
The video clip was also shared by on Tuesday by Tasnim, a semi-official news agency associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps which claimed it was one of “hundreds of missile cities” operated by the multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. Similar videos have been put out in recent months in an apparent show of defiance from Iran amid tensions with the US over its nuclear programme.
On Monday, Tehran warned no nation would “dare” attack Iran as the US prepares to significantly bolster its forces in the region amid rising tensions.
The US is sending a second aircraft carrier group to the region with Washington increasing airstrikes against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragachi responded by sending a warning over his country’s capabilities, explaining their advanced military might acts as a deterrent.
Speaking at a Red Crescent New Year’s headquarters meeting, he said: “Our enemies are well aware of the consequences of any aggression against our territory,” as per London-based Persian news outlet Iran International.
The minister also said Iran will not enter “any direct negotiations” with the US after President Donald Trump sent a letter proposing talks on a new nuclear deal earlier this month.
However, he added a path for “indirect negotiations is open”.
A spokesman for the National Security Council Brian Hughes told CNN that Trump had “made it clear to Ayatollah Khamenei that he wanted to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program diplomatically – and very soon – and if this was not possible, there would be other ways to resolve the dispute”.
Steve Witkoff, the United States Special Envoy to the Middle East who is also closely involved in ceasefire talks to pause Putin’s war in Ukraine, spoke about the contents of the letter in an interview with Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson over the weekend.
According to Witkoff, the letter “roughly said: I’m a president of peace, that’s what I want. There’s no reason for us to do this militarily. We should talk. We should clear up the misconceptions. We should create a verification program so that nobody worries about weaponisation of your nuclear material, and I’d like to get to that place, because the alternative is not a very good alternative.”
U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told news agency Reuters in December that Tehran is “dramatically” accelerating its enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, approaching the approximate 90% level that would take it to weapons grade.
Iran denies pursuing nuclear weapons and insists its nuclear program is peaceful.