On March 25, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) pulled back the curtain on a sprawling new underground missile base, a fortified “missile city” bristling with thousands of precision-guided weapons, including the Kheybar Shekan and Haj Qassem.

Unveiled amid simmering tensions with Israel and the U.S., the facility underscores Tehran’s escalating push for self-reliance and deterrence, showcased during a high-profile visit by IRGC Chief Commander Major General Hossein Salami and Aerospace Force Commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

State media hailed the base as a strategic leap, with footage revealing tunnels lined with solid-fuel ballistic missiles like the Kheybar Shekan—boasting a 1,450-km range and maneuverable warheads—and the Haj Qassem, named for the slain Quds Force leader, with a 1,400-km reach.

Posts on X and reports from Tasnim News suggest it houses “thousands” of missiles, including Sejjil and Paveh variants, designed to penetrate advanced air defenses like Israel’s David’s Sling or the U.S. Patriot system. IRGC spokesperson General Ali Mohammad Naeini called it a “cutting-edge” hub, part of ongoing drills dubbed Payambar-e Azam 19, signaling Iran’s readiness for “complex battles.”

The unveiling follows a pattern—bases emerged in January and February 2025 along the Gulf—and comes after October 2024’s True Promise 2, when Iran launched 181 missiles, including Kheybar Shekans, at Israel, per the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Salami warned adversaries to “calculate precisely,” hinting at retaliatory might, while analysts see a dual message: deterrence against Israel’s regional strikes and a flex against U.S. pressure post-Trump’s sanctions revival. With Iran’s arsenal now at 3,000-plus ballistic missiles, per the Wisconsin Project, this base cements its status as the Middle East’s missile heavyweight, poised to reshape the region’s power dynamics.