Iran's IRGC Says It Is Building Underground Weapons Sites

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has moved missile and drone production underground, building complexes designed to keep manufacturing running even during heavy bombardment, according to Al Jazeera.

IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi detailed the effort Saturday at a news conference in Tehran, telling reporters the Guard had rapidly shifted production lines from the surface to underground facilities. Semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that an "underground missile city" is set to be unveiled, Al Jazeera reported.

What did the IRGC announce?

Mohebbi said the underground shift lets Iran keep producing missiles even as adversaries assume stockpiles are dwindling. He also pointed to advances in stealth technology, saying improvements had allowed Iranian missiles and drones to pierce air defense systems and strike targets accurately in earlier rounds of fighting with the United States and Israel. "Today, every weapon used by the IRGC Aerospace Force is manufactured using homegrown knowledge and expertise," Mohebbi said, according to Iran's IRNA news agency, as cited by Al Jazeera. "Moreover, our products are not even derived from reverse-engineering captured enemy war material."

Why build weapons facilities underground?

The stated purpose is survivability: a strike campaign that destroys surface factories cannot halt production if the lines are buried and hardened. Mohebbi's framing suggests Tehran is betting that dispersal and depth, not just defense systems, will protect its missile supply chain through further rounds of conflict.

What has the fighting cost so far?

Two outside assessments cited in the Al Jazeera report quantify the toll. The Wall Street Journal found Iran caused billions of dollars in damage to US bases across the Middle East during earlier fighting. Separately, Reuters reported that Iran targeted Gulf infrastructure at least 135 times over the same period, causing billions of dollars in damage and lost revenue, per Al Jazeera's account of that reporting.

What did Iran's supreme leader say about retaliation?

Mohebbi also said restrictions on the range of Iranian missiles have been lifted. That statement follows remarks from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who said there would be "no geographical limits" to Iran's response if the US and Israel strike again, Al Jazeera reported.

How did this round of fighting start?

• February 28, 2026: The US-Israeli war on Iran begins, prompting Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz and triggering a global energy crisis, according to Al Jazeera.
• Recent weeks: Regional mediation efforts intensify as countries in the area push to end the conflict.
• Friday, Nov. 6, 2026: President Donald Trump says the US military launched limited strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island.
• Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026: Mohebbi announces the underground production shift and lifted missile-range restrictions at a Tehran news conference.

What to watch next

• Whether Tehran follows through on unveiling the "underground missile city" Tasnim referenced.
• Any US or Israeli response to claims that missile-range restrictions have been lifted.
• Whether regional mediation efforts produce a ceasefire framework before further strikes occur.
• Independent verification of IRGC claims about underground production capacity, which have not been confirmed by outside inspectors.

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