Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has unveiled a new underground 'missile city', displaying ballistic and cruise missiles inside a vast tunnel complex, as tensions with the United States and Israel remain high.

State television on Tuesday broadcast footage of the facility, showing rows of missiles and truck-mounted launchers inside the underground base. The chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, Major General Ali Abdollahi, and the commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, Brigadier General Majid Mousavi, were shown touring the site and inspecting the weapons.

What the footage showed

According to Iran's Tasnim news agency, the facility houses various ballistic and cruise missiles along with their launch systems. The broadcast also showed what Iranian media described as new, unidentified surface-to-surface missiles.

Neither the location of the base nor the date of the commanders' visit was disclosed, and the video was heavily edited and partly blurred. Reuters said it could not independently verify the date or the location of the footage.

The unveiling had been trailed in advance. IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi said on Saturday that the Aerospace Force would present a new missile city and other military achievements during its annual Aerospace Week, adding that missile and drone production lines had been moved underground so they could keep operating during wartime.

Warnings from Tehran's commanders

General Abdollahi warned that 'surprises will come one after another' in any future war, and IRGC officials said Iran's response to any new attack could extend beyond the region.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said in a message marking the unveiling that Iran would respond 'swiftly and beyond your imagination' to any aggression, adding that 'this time, the geography of the war will be determined by the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran'. He described the missile city as a clear message to Iran's enemies and said the project had been completed despite sanctions, military threats and wartime fire.

Qalibaf also paid tribute to former IRGC Aerospace Force commanders Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, Amir Ali Hajizadeh and Mahmoud Bagheri. He said the unveiling, held ahead of the anniversary of Tehrani Moghaddam's death and Iran's Aerospace Force Day, showed Iran would not abandon developing its defence capabilities.

Why it matters now

The display comes a day after US President Donald Trump said new military strikes on Iran were 'quite unlikely' for now, and after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 allies in Paris that US sanctions and the naval blockade were inflicting such economic pain that major combat operations were not needed.

It also follows the 40-day US-Israeli air campaign against Iran earlier this year. Tehran has repeatedly said its missile programme is defensive, while Washington and its allies say the programme, and Iran's support for armed groups across the region, must be constrained before sanctions and the blockade can be lifted.

Iran has one of the largest missile programmes in the Middle East, and Israeli assessments published earlier this month put its stockpile at more than 1,700 ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israeli territory.

Sources: Tasnim News Agency and Reuters.