By Jonathan Landay and Parisa Hafezi
WASHINGTON/DUBAI (Reuters) – Latest satellite tv for pc imagery exhibits main expansions at two key Iranian ballistic missile amenities that two American researchers assessed are for reinforcing missile manufacturing, a conclusion confirmed by three senior Iranian officers.
The enlargement of the websites follows an October 2022 deal through which Iran agreed to offer missiles to Russia, which has been searching for them for its warfare in opposition to Ukraine. Tehran additionally provides missiles to Yemen’s Houthi rebels and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, each members of the Iran-backed Axis of Resistance in opposition to Israel, based on U.S. officers.
Photos taken by business satellite tv for pc agency Planet Labs of the Modarres navy base in March and the Khojir missile manufacturing complicated in April present greater than 30 new buildings on the two websites, each of that are situated close to Tehran.
The pictures, reviewed by Reuters, present lots of the constructions are surrounded by massive dust berms. Such earthworks are related to missile manufacturing and are designed to cease a blast in a single constructing from detonating extremely flamable supplies in close by constructions, mentioned Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of Worldwide Research at Monterey.
The expansions started at Khojir in August final yr and at Modarres in October, Lewis mentioned, based mostly on pictures of the websites.
Iran’s arsenal is already the most important within the Center East, estimated at greater than 3,000 missiles, together with fashions designed to hold typical and nuclear warheads, consultants say.
Three Iranian officers, who requested to not be recognized as a result of they weren’t approved to talk publicly, confirmed that Modarres and Khojir are being expanded to spice up manufacturing of typical ballistic missiles.
“Why should not we?” mentioned one official.
A second Iranian official mentioned among the new buildings would additionally permit a doubling of drone manufacturing. Drones and missile parts could be bought to Russia, drones could be supplied to the Houthis and missiles to Hezbollah, the supply added.
Reuters was unable independently to verify the Iranian officers’ feedback.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations didn’t reply to a Reuters request for touch upon the enlargement of the complexes. Tehran has beforehand denied offering drones and missiles to Russia and the Houthis. Hezbollah’s media workplace didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam mentioned a lift in Iran’s weapons manufacturing wouldn’t have any impression in Yemen as a result of the Houthis develop and manufacture plane impartial of Iran.
Lewis analyzed the Planet Labs imagery with Decker Eveleth, an affiliate analysis analyst at CNA, a Washington thinktank, as a part of a Middlebury challenge that screens Iranian missile infrastructure.
“We all know that Russia is on the hunt for low-cost missile capabilities, and it has gone to Iran and North Korea,” mentioned Lewis.
Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the switch of North Korean missiles to Russia. The Russian embassy in Washington and North Korea’s mission to the United Nations didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark for this story.
The 2 U.S. researchers mentioned in separate interviews that it was not clear from the images what sorts of missiles could be produced on the new amenities, which nonetheless seemed to be beneath development.
Any improve in Tehran’s missile or drone manufacturing could be regarding to the US, which has mentioned that Iranian drones assist maintain Russia’s assault on Ukrainian cities, and to Israel because it fends off assaults from Iran-backed teams, together with Hezbollah.
The U.S. Workplace of the Director of Nationwide Intelligence declined to touch upon the reseachers’ evaluation.
A U.S. Nationwide Safety Council spokesperson declined to verify their evaluation, including that the US has carried out numerous measures, together with sanctions, supposed to constrain Iranian missile and drone manufacturing and exports.
Reuters in February reported that Iran had despatched surface-to-surface ballistic missiles to Russia to be used in opposition to Ukraine. Iran denied offering the weapons. Washington mentioned it couldn’t verify the transfers however it assumed Tehran supposed to offer missiles to Moscow.
NEW BUILDINGS, DIRT BERMS
Shahid Modarres and Khojir are overseen by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the elite paramilitary group that performs a central function in Iran’s missile and nuclear packages. It controls massive segments of the Iranian economic system and solutions on to Iran’s supreme chief, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The complexes have lengthy been related to the event and manufacturing of Iran’s short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and rockets for the nation’s area program.
On Nov. 12, 2011, a large explosion destroyed a big swath of Shadid Modarres related to stable gas missiles, killing 17 IRGC officers. They included Gen. Hassan Moqaddam, regarded by Iran because the “architect” of its ballistic missile program.
Building at Shahid Modarres, which started once more after the 2011 explosion, accelerated final yr, the second Iranian official mentioned.
“I feel the Iranians could have chosen to not berm the buildings (earlier than the explosion) as a result of they didn’t wish to draw consideration to them,” mentioned Lewis. “They discovered the exhausting manner.”
Eveleth and Lewis mentioned the websites’ lengthy historical past with Iran’s missile program – Shahid Modarres is taken into account by some consultants as its birthplace – and the quite a few dust berms assist their evaluation that Tehran is increasing ballistic missile manufacturing.
“Once we see the place you principally have a whole manufacturing line that’s bermed like that, that is normally missiles,” mentioned Eveleth.
