Iran has underground arms depots: IRGC commander

Iran has created a "sophisticated" network of underground arms caches, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Commander of IRGC's Aerospace Forces, said in a televised programme on Monday night that Iran had come up with the idea of underground storage of missiles more than three decades ago as part of a plan to hide and shield its missile capabilities from the enemies.

"Very complex tunnels have been dug under the ground and mountains to store ammunition, missiles, equipment and even (protecting) personnel," Hajizadeh was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency on Tuesday.

He also said that Iran was "among a handful of countries with the know-how to design and manufacture missiles with pinpoint accuracy".

"We are the top missile power in the region at present, and among the seven or eight leading countries (in the missile industry) in the world," he added.

The IRGC general also unveiled plans for the production of a homegrown radar system that could lock onto and destroy targets when in motion, unlike the conventional stationary radars, said the report.