Iran Seen Clearing Debris at Underground Missile Bases During Ceasefire

Source

Korea Economic Daily

Summary

CNN reported that Iran was seen clearing debris from an underground missile base during a ceasefire agreed with the US.
Sources said about half of Iran's missile launchers were assessed to have remained intact even after more than a month of fighting.
Researcher Sam Lair said a ceasefire means accepting that an enemy can rebuild some of the military capability that had been destroyed.

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CNN report

*Photo: somkanae sawatdinak/Shutterstock*

Iran appears to have been clearing debris from the entrances of underground missile bases during a ceasefire agreed with the US.

CNN reported on July 14 that the activity was visible in satellite images taken by Airbus on July 10, three days after the ceasefire agreement, at missile bases in Iran's Khomeyn and Tabriz areas. The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on July 7.

CNN's analysis of the satellite images appeared to show a front loader atop debris blocking a tunnel entrance, with dump trucks lined up nearby. The network also reported that loading equipment was seen scooping debris from the blocked tunnel and transferring it to dump trucks waiting close by.

The US and Israel have targeted the entrances to the bases to prevent missile launchers from emerging to fire or returning to be reloaded.

US intelligence agencies assessed that about half of Iran's missile launchers remained intact even after more than a month of fighting, sources said. Many of those launchers may have been buried underground after airstrikes hit tunnel entrances, the sources added.

Sam Lair, a researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, told CNN that a ceasefire means accepting that an enemy can rebuild part of the military capability destroyed at great cost in time, effort and money. Iran's efforts to restore its missile bases were to be expected, he added.

Lee Su, Hankyung.com reporter 2su@hankyung.com