Troubling new satellite images suggest that Iran has been rapidly rebuilding its missile bases that were decimated by months of airstrikes by the US and Israeli military, according to a new report.
Photos from November show evidence of construction and digging at two of Iran’s biggest military bases: Garmdareh base in Karaj, near Tehran, and the Shahroud base in the north, analysts with British intelligence company MAIAR, who reviewed the photos, told BBC Verify.
At least 12 other military sites, including missile complexes and airbases, show signs of repairs and construction, according to the images.
The Islamic Republic, which has been barraged by US and Israeli attacks since February, has “a pattern of moving infrastructure underground to protect them from further strikes,” an MAIAR analyst told the outlet.
Moving facilities underground makes it more difficult for Iran’s adversaries to determine the full extent of their operational capabilities, according to Mark Mellett, a defense analyst and former head of the Irish military.
The apparent excavations near Shahroud could be tied to the production of missiles, Jim Lamson, a former CIA analyst and Iran expert, told the BBC.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps are likely attempting to move its production facilities underground after the nearby airbase has been repeatedly targeted for airstrikes, he said.
Both bases in Shahroud and Karaj appear to show significant excavations. Multiple vehicles could be seen in the satellite images as well as improvements in Karaj, the BBC reported.
The images near Karaj seem to reveal the construction of “a new portal for an underground facility,” said Sam Lair, research analyst at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI).
Analysts from Janes Defense Intelligence also identified tunnel entrances at Karaj and structures indicative of a possible expansion of damaged or destroyed missile bases.
The rapid construction is likely because Iran is preparing for further attacks from the US and Israel — which have slowed in recent weeks after Trump announced a pause on strikes before the midterm elections, said Mark Cancian, military analyst with the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The alarming report comes after Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, told the Wall Street Journal that the US had “destroyed up to 90% of Iran’s drone, ballistic missile, and naval industrial base” and “significantly degraded Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones.”
However, Tehran claims it retains large stockpiles of missiles, according to state media.
And despite setbacks, the Islamic Republic is back to producing liquid-propellant ballistic missiles, negating what the Trump administration has called a major accomplishment of Operation Epic Fury, the WSJ reported in September, citing US officials.
The president only has a small window after the midterm elections to renew his war on Iran before a new Democrat-dominated Congress is likely to rein in his war powers, experts told The Post.
While Trump is pushing renewed negotiations with Iran, he has threatened that he would “finish the job” in Iran if the Islamic Republic fails to submit to his demands.
Iran appears well-aware of this development and the regime continues to push for diplomacy — while also ramping up threats across the region in an attempt to run out the clock.
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