On Saturday, two days ahead of President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration in Washington, DC, the IRGC Navy inaugurated one of its “floating cities” in a ceremony attended by Major General Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC, and General Alireza Tangsiri, the IRGC Navy commander.
#Iran‘s IRGC has unveiled its first underground naval base, situated approximately 500 meters below the surface. This facility houses offensive vessels equipped with missiles. IRGC Navy commander said that three vessels of Zolfaghar can destroy an American aircraft carrier. https://t.co/3VB0t7oWio pic.twitter.com/RkybM1CDBK
— Iran Nuances (@IranNuances) January 18, 2025
According to an IRGC tweet, this is its first underground naval base, located approximately 500 meters below the surface, housing offensive vessels equipped with missiles. The IRGC Navy commander said that three vessels carrying Zolfaghar missiles could destroy an American aircraft carrier.
The Zolfaghar missile is an Iranian road-mobile, single-stage, solid-propelled short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) named after Zulfiqar, the legendary sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad. The missile is believed to have been developed from the Fateh-110 SRBM family, potentially based on the Fateh-313 missile. The Aerospace Industries Organization officially unveiled the Zolfaghar in 2016, and it entered service in 2017. The missile saw its first operational use in the 2017 Deir ez-Zor missile strike, when the IRGC fired six surface-to-surface mid-range ballistic missiles from domestic bases, targeting ISIS forces in Syria in response to ISIS attacks in Tehran earlier that month.
During the event on Saturday, Major General Salami remarked, “The complex we toured today alongside the esteemed Commander of the IRGC Navy is among the numerous systems housing the IRGC Navy’s attack, missile, and mine-laying vessels.”
He further noted, “While the complex showcased to the Iranian nation today is remarkable and impressive, it represents only a fraction of the IRGC Navy’s overall defensive capabilities.”
General Salami stressed the ongoing expansion of the IRGC Navy’s advanced equipment and systems, stating, “The IRGC Navy is now capable of establishing multiple layers of defense.”
