US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that the American military is ready to restart attacks on Iran if a ceasefire deal is not reached between the two countries as Tehran appears to be ready to fire more long-range missiles at Israel and other countries in West Asia after reportedly digging out its buried arsenals.
Recovery of underground missile capabilities
After weeks of continuous strikes by Tel Aviv and Washington, Tehran was restricted from accessing its underground missile sites. The attacks which started on February 28 destroyed roads and buried tunnel entrances which would have led the Iranian administration to the underground missile sites, CNN reported.
Satellite images have shown that Iran used bulldozers and dump trucks to clear the sites where underground missiles have been stored and it suggests that Tehran’s missile capabilities can’t be destroyed by striking tunnel entrances and other strategic spots, CNN reported quoting experts.
Diplomatic deadlock and US readiness
Meanwhile, the United States and Iran have reached a tentative agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But Hegseth on Saturday warned that Washington could restart its military campaign if a deal is not finalised.
“Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, so we’re in a very good place,” he said.
Why is Iran digging its buried arsenals?
According to Sam Lair, research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, if the war resumes Tehran is in position to “continue launching missiles so long as they have launchers and crews, even if production has halted.”
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“There’s nothing to prevent the launchers from being armed with the ample stockpile of missiles that the Iranians still have,” CNN reported Lair as saying.
Accelerated excavation efforts and site status
Since the ceasefire was signed between Iran and US on April 8, pausing the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Tehran’s efforts to excavate the sites have accelerated significantly.
Even during the hostilities, Iranian authorities were working to clear the tunnel entrances with the US and Israel continuously targeting the equipment used for digging the underground missile sites. This enabled the Islamic Republic to continue firing missiles throughout the conflict, but at a reduced pace.
According to the CNN report, Iran has been able to unlock 50 of the 69 tunnel entrances that were attacked by the US and Israel at 18 underground missile sites.
