How Iran Built Hundreds of Underground Missile Cities Inside Mountains

Iran’s Hidden Weapon: How Underground Missile Cities Are Changing Global Security

Iran has built an underground military infrastructure that might just be one of the most ambitious and hidden in history.

Beneath the mountains of Iran, thousands of ballistic missiles sit in tunnels, carved 500 meters deep into solid rock.

These aren’t just bunkers—they are entire underground cities, equipped with roads wide enough for trucks, automated rail systems to move missiles into launch positions, and fuel stations that supply the weapons for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

And the most chilling part? These missile cities are virtually invisible to the world.

Western intelligence agencies have described these underground fortresses as one of the most complex military networks ever built by any nation.

How did Iran, under crippling international sanctions and cut off from Western technology, manage to build hundreds of these missile cities?

The answer lies in Iran’s history, its ingenuity, and strategic use of its mountainous terrain.

The 1980s Iran-Iraq War served as a brutal teacher for the Iranian military.

During the war, Iraq launched relentless airstrikes on Iranian cities, obliterating surface military installations.

The lesson learned was simple: anything built above ground could be destroyed.

That’s when the idea of underground military bases was born.

In 1984, Iran constructed its first underground missile base near Kermanshaw to protect Scud missiles acquired from Libya and North Korea.

This was the first step toward an enormous underground construction initiative that would span four decades.

Iran’s “passive defense initiative,” launched in 1989, marked the beginning of the country’s mission to relocate its most vital military facilities underground.

The Zagros Mountains in the west, the Albor Mountains in the north, and the southern ranges near the Strait of Hormuz became ideal locations for these secretive fortresses.

The concept was simple but radical: build deep inside the mountains, where no bomb could penetrate.

And over the next two decades, this initiative expanded into one of the largest underground military projects in history.

These missile cities are far more advanced than basic tunnels or bunkers.

Inside these hidden cities, you’ll find kilometers of tunnels, some wide enough for two trucks to pass each other comfortably.

These tunnels are lined with road-mobile transporter erector launchers (TELs) that can drive missiles into position, fire them, and retreat back underground before enemy aircraft can strike.

But Iran didn’t stop there.

In 2020, a new feature was revealed: an automated underground rail system.

Missiles are stored in vertical launch positions on railcars that move through the tunnels.

When one missile is launched, the rail system moves another into position for a rapid, consecutive strike.

This innovative system allows Iran to launch multiple missiles from a single underground silo, something no other country has demonstrated.

Each missile city is fully self-contained with power generators, refueling stations, and sophisticated communication systems.

Some missile cities even feature independent power supplies and ventilation systems to keep the air breathable for the soldiers working below ground.

To further protect these underground weapons, Iran has built multiple entrances and exits, often disguised as natural terrain.

If one entrance is destroyed, the others remain functional, ensuring the survival of the base.

These missile cities aren’t the only part of Iran’s underground military network.

Iran has also built underground air bases, naval bases, and drone facilities, creating a comprehensive military infrastructure that operates entirely below the surface.

The most well-known of these air bases is the OGO 44 facility, built in the 2010s and revealed to the public in recent years.

This underground base houses fighter jets and other aircraft that can be protected from airstrikes, ensuring the survival of Iran’s air force, which relies heavily on aging aircraft.

During the 2025 conflict with Israel, Iran moved its most valuable aircraft into these underground shelters before airstrikes began.

The result? Only one operational F5 fighter was destroyed during two weeks of intense conflict.

Iran has also constructed underground naval bases along the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, designed to house its fleet of small, fast attack boats.

These boats, part of what military analysts call Iran’s “mosquito fleet,” are designed to swarm larger enemy vessels, launching missiles and then retreating into hidden bases.

Iran has even developed underground drone facilities, where large reconnaissance and strike drones are stored and launched without ever being visible from the air.

This underground military network is one of the largest, most complex, and resilient systems ever built.

Iran’s construction efforts have been aided by domestic expertise in civil engineering and tunnel construction, as well as assistance from North Korea and China in the early stages.

Despite facing decades of sanctions, Iran managed to build this vast network using a combination of traditional mining techniques and modern engineering.

The scale and scope of this underground military infrastructure are staggering.

Iran has essentially created a parallel military world beneath the surface, with missile cities, airbases, and naval bases scattered across its mountain ranges.

In the event of a conflict, Iran can rely on these hidden facilities to retaliate, even if its surface-based military infrastructure is destroyed.

For Iran’s adversaries, this presents an almost impossible challenge.

How do you destroy what you can’t see? How do you neutralize a military system that exists entirely beneath the surface?

The answer to that question could determine the future of conflict in the Middle East.

And as Iran continues to expand its underground network, the world is left wondering: Is this military ingenuity or a dangerous escalation in global defense strategies?