Iran resumes ballistic missile production at underground facilities: report

WASHINGTON: Iran has resumed assembling ballistic missiles at underground facilities using components it had stockpiled before the conflict, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing U.S. officials.

Despite attacks on missile sites and industrial facilities during the early stages of the conflict, Iran has continued assembling both liquid-fuel and solid-fuel ballistic missiles, the officials said.

US intelligence reports have identified activity at several underground locations, including the Khojir missile base in southeastern Iran, according to the report. Iranian authorities are also seeking to build new underground facilities to protect the missile programme from further attacks, officials said.

US and regional officials said Iran was currently relying on components already in its possession to assemble missiles.

The United States and Israel have inflicted significant damage on several key industrial facilities involved in producing missiles and their components. A naval blockade has also made it increasingly difficult for Iran to import components and materials needed for solid-fuel production.

Arab officials said the destruction of chemical facilities used to produce liquid fuel and industrial mixers needed for solid-fuel production had created major obstacles to large-scale missile manufacturing.

The developments underscore the difficulty of completely dismantling Iran’s missile programme, according to the report.

Satellite imagery has also shown Iran rapidly rebuilding infrastructure ranging from roads and bridges to production facilities, raising concerns among Israeli officials.

The report said Iran had restored tunnel routes at missile bases damaged by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. Israeli military assessments indicate that weapons stored inside some of the underground facilities may have remained intact despite the attacks.