Tehran unveils deep underground weapons depot amid tensions
Amid mounting pressure from the United States and Israel, Tehran—known for regularly unveiling more or less modern weaponry—announced another military premiere. This time, it wasn't a new missile or nuclear device but rather a weapons depot hidden deep underground.
For years, ballistic missiles, long-range drones, and cruise missiles have been Tehran's main military assets. Iran can threaten Israel with them—as demonstrated in October 2024—as well as American bases in the Middle East.
With Israeli aviation effortlessly neutralizing Iranian defenses and operating freely over Iran's territory, Iran is compelled to hide its most valuable weapons deep underground.
Beneath hundreds of feet of earth, these depots are secured from known non-nuclear attacks available to Israel and the United States. A video circulating online on March 25 purported to show—according to Iranian sources—another such shelter.
Iranian underground weapons depot
This follows earlier announcements from Tehran, which promised to showcase "military potential that will infuriate enemies." Contrary to earlier speculation, it is not a new model of weaponry but a place where Iranian weapons can be safely stored.
Besides the footage showing long, curved tunnels filled with missiles, Iran has yet to reveal technical details about the facility.
Due to its similarity to previously displayed shelters—like the "missile city" unveiled by the Revolutionary Guard Corps in February 2025—it can be presumed that this one too is hidden hundreds of feet underground.
How to destroy an underground shelter?
In theory, this setup provides effective protection against currently known weapons designed to destroy underground fortifications. The most powerful of these is considered to be the American GBU-57 MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator).
This 30,000-pound bunker-buster bomb is designed to destroy underground installations. The GBU-57 is over 20 feet long and can be carried by B-2 Spirit aircraft.
Dropped from a high altitude, it offers—according to unofficial estimates—the capability to penetrate 130 feet of solid rock or 200 feet of reinforced concrete. Due to modernization efforts conducted in 2018, the effectiveness of the GBU-57 has reportedly increased, but the Pentagon has not disclosed detailed information on the weapon's capabilities.
