DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran discovered an underground naval missile base at an undisclosed location in the Gulf on Saturday, state TV reported, two days before the start of Donald Trump’s second term as president.
It was presented at a time when tensions with Washington are expected to rise. Iranian leaders are concerned that Trump could authorize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities while tightening US sanctions on its oil industry with his “maximum pressure” policy.
State television showed the head of the Revolutionary Guard, General Hossein Salami, visiting a secret base during military exercises. He said it was one of several underground-built ships capable of long-range missile launches and long-range warfare.
“We assure the great nation of Iran that their young people are capable of emerging victorious from the battle at sea against enemies big and small,” Salami said.
State television said the base was built 500 meters (yards) deep somewhere in the Gulf and showed tunnels with long arrays of what it said were new versions of Taregh-class speedboats that evade radar and can launch cruise missiles.
Earlier this month, Iran began military exercises that are expected to last two months and have already included war games in which the Revolutionary Guards defended the Natanz nuclear facilities against mock missile and drone attacks.
Iran, which says its ballistic missiles are an important deterrent and retaliatory force against the US and Israel, has in the past discovered several underground “missile cities”.
