Iran is using the cease-fire to dig out its underground missile bases that were buried by US and Israeli airstrikes, according to recent satellite images.
Trucks and heavy machinery were seen arriving at the ruins of Iran’s missile bases near Khomeyn and Tabriz on April 10, two sites previously hit by airstrikes, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Iranian crews were seen to be clearing the debris from the underground tunnels, scooping the rubble and loading up nearby trucks that hulled it away.
The work appeared concentrated at the entrances to the missile bases that were hit and sealed off during the war, preventing Iran from deploying its rockets.
The images suggest Iran could be rushing to salvage its missile launchers during the temporary cease-fire, which remains in effect this week.
Mediators are still attempting to bring Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table after talks broke down over the weekend.
The satellite photos come just a week after US intelligence warned that Iranian operatives were digging out the missile bunkers and silos to make them operational again.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz also reported that Iran had used bulldozers to dig out its missile launchers from the underground bunkers.
The Pentagon and White House said that US and Israeli forces had struck 13,000 targets in Iran over the five weeks of war, including more than 450 ballistic missile storage facilities.
Despite the blows, Iran still has the ability to use its remaining arsenal of missile launchers and ballistic missiles to attack Israel and other nations in the Middle East, US officials briefed on the matter told The New York Times.
While the agencies made no mention of how many missile launchers were left, officials said a CNN report that half of Iran’s launchers survived falls within the range given in the intelligence reports.
The US and Israel have said one goal of the war is to elminate Iran’s ability to attack the Jewish state and American allies in the Middle East.
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