Iran is seeking to prove to the world that not only has its ballistic missile program been kept intact even after the intense bombing campaign of Operation Epic Fury, but it has even expanded domestic production.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has newly announced and claimed that it has expanded its missile production capacity deep underground, despite the US-Israeli war which in large part targeted its missile capability and nuclear development sites in an effort to degrade and destroy them.
The IRGC has hailed that it has transferred production processes from surface facilities to underground facilities, allowing the manufacturing of missiles and drones to persist even if Iran is bombarded by new attacks.
Iran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Abdollahi has emphasized, "Advanced missiles will surprise enemies with their battlefield impact."
And IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi described a process of moving beyond just underground missile storage complexes to establish "missile production cities" deep under the ground.
The IRGC spokesmanhas interestingly also issued the following list of the IRGC Aerospace Force's major achievements via state media - many of these having come even during a state of war with the US:
1. Indigenous aerospace technology: Developing domestic expertise and localizing aerospace industries, transforming Iran from an arms importer into a producer and exporter of advanced military equipment.
2. Mass production and exports: Turning indigenous expertise into industrial-scale production of military equipment, including the ‘Shahed-136’ drone, which he said has been copied by several countries, including the US. He also cited exports of ‘Arman’ missiles, the ‘358’ drones and the ‘3rd Khordad’ air defense system.
3. Military self-sufficiency: Relying entirely on domestic expertise and production rather than foreign weapons, imported components or reverse-engineering captured equipment.
4. Operational capabilities under fire: Maintaining the ability to deploy short- and long-range, light and heavy weaponry and continue military operations despite intense enemy bombardment.
5. Countering enemy aircraft: Mohebbi said the Aerospace Force had intercepted and destroyed more than 260 enemy aircraft and aerial vehicles during the US-Israeli war of aggression, including F-35, F-16, F-5 and F-18 fighter jets, as well as MQ-1, RQ-4, Orbiter and Lucas drones. He stressed that the figure did not include the achievements of the Iranian Army.
6. Sustained wartime production: Establishing flexible production capabilities to ensure the uninterrupted manufacturing of missiles and drones under wartime conditions and heavy bombardment.
7. Missile and drone stealth capabilities: Reducing the radar cross-section (RCS) of missiles and drones, enabling them to penetrate multiple layers of enemy air defenses and accurately strike their targets. He stated that advanced systems, including THAAD, had proved ineffective, while Patriot systems had also suffered failures.
8. Effective deterrence: Establishing deterrence through retaliatory strikes against enemy military and strategic infrastructure, including artificial intelligence and data-processing facilities, which he said forced the enemy to reconsider and halt further attacks.
9. Links with scientific and industrial centers: Establishing close, organized cooperation with the country's universities, research institutions, scientific centers and industries.
10. Unveiling future capabilities: Developing new military capabilities that Mohebbi described as major surprises, which would be unveiled if a third wave of confrontation with the enemy takes place. He said these achievements would demonstrate the force's deterrent power and surprise the world.
State media circulated the following video:
All of this of course greatly complicates things further in terms of Washington aims (even if merely half of the above list was legitimately accomplished).
Among the key objectives of the US is to destroy Iran's ballistic missile arsenal - a goal which has clearly not been accomplished. Given the missile cities expanse, this US objective is a tall order that is unlikely to ever actually be accomplished - short of some kind of nightmarish boots on the ground and many years-long invasion and occupation scenario.