The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has unveiled an underground missile city, while at the same time, the streets of Tehran witnessed an armed Basij parade under the banner of the “Rahiyan al-Quds Exercise.”
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the release of a video titled “Missile City” and the Basij parade in Tehran occurred at a time when Tehran’s allies in the region have been weakened and as Donald Trump is about to enter the White House.
On the night of Friday, January 10, Iranian state television broadcast a video showing IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami visiting “a missile city deep inside a mountain.”
The video did not disclose the location or specific military features of the facility, stating only that Iran’s missile strikes against Israel were launched from this site.
In the video, Hossein Salami stated that claims about Iran’s missile production being disrupted were false, asserting that “our missile capabilities are up to date.”
Previously, officials from various countries and military analysts had reported that Israeli retaliatory strikes had severely damaged Iran’s air defense and missile capabilities.
Around two months ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israeli airstrikes had effectively destroyed Iran’s air defenses, missile production capacity, and “a specific part” of its nuclear program.
Military Parade in Tehran’s Streets
A few hours before the announcement of the “Missile City” unveiling, Tehran’s streets saw the presence of Basij forces participating in an event titled the “110,000-strong Rahiyan al-Quds Exercise.”
Hassan Hassanzadeh, commander of Tehran’s “Mohammad Rasoulallah IRGC Unit,” which organized the event, stated that its purpose was to “boost the morale of offensive forces” and “put the enemy in its place.”
According to Sepah News, after the parade, Tehran’s IRGC commander announced that Basij bases in the city would distribute “124,000 aid packages, 1,024 dowry sets, and 24,000 stationery kits.”
Many social media users criticized the sudden and unplanned nature of the armed parade, the resulting traffic gridlock, and the fact that citizens were forced to remain in severe air pollution.
Meanwhile, the public relations office of Tehran’s IRGC denied a report published by the Shargh newspaper. A day earlier, Shargh had quoted Hassan Hassanzadeh as saying that “at least 27,000 Afghan brothers and sisters residing in Iran had filled out forms to participate in the exercise.”
