Iran Digs Out Buried Missile Bases As Limits Of US Bombing Campaign Exposed

CNN

Iran has rapidly reopened dozens of underground missile bases damaged during the US-Israeli war, raising fresh questions about whether air power alone can neutralise Tehran's vast missile arsenal.

New satellite imagery shows Iranian engineers using little more than bulldozers, dump trucks and construction equipment to clear blocked tunnel entrances and repair damaged roads, undoing weeks of costly bombing raids.

The findings highlight a growing concern among military analysts: while American and Israeli forces successfully disrupted Iran's missile operations during the conflict, they may have failed to eliminate the long-term threat.

Bulldozers Beat Billion-Dollar Bombs

During the war, US and Israeli aircraft focused heavily on Iran's underground missile network, targeting tunnel entrances, access roads and launch sites in an effort to trap missiles beneath mountains of rock and debris.

The strategy initially worked.

Iran's missile launches fell sharply as key underground facilities became inaccessible and launch crews struggled to reach stored weapons.

But satellite images now reveal a remarkable recovery effort.

Of the 69 tunnel entrances reportedly struck during the conflict, Iran has already reopened 50. Roads shattered by bombing have been repaired, craters filled, and in some locations even repaved.

Military analysts say the contrast is striking.

Expensive precision-guided munitions created the damage. Basic construction equipment is now erasing it.

Thousands Of Missiles May Still Remain

Experts believe Iran still possesses around 1,000 long-range missiles hidden deep inside its underground facilities.

Because many of the bases are buried beneath hundreds of metres of rock, the missile stockpiles themselves are thought to have survived largely intact.

The bombings focused mainly on entrances and access routes rather than the missiles themselves.

As a result, analysts warn that Iran could quickly resume large-scale missile operations if hostilities flare up again.

"They were preparing for this kind of war for 20 years," one researcher said. "They are very prepared."

A Strategic Problem For Washington

The recovery effort is fuelling debate about whether the bombing campaign achieved its broader goals.

President Donald Trump repeatedly cited the destruction of Iran's missile capabilities as one of the central objectives of the conflict.

US and Israeli strikes successfully damaged missile factories, launch sites and transport networks. However, intelligence assessments now suggest Iran has already begun rebuilding several critical military capabilities, including missile production and drone manufacturing.

According to one US official, Tehran has exceeded many American estimates for how quickly it could recover.

The Threat Has Not Disappeared

Analysts caution that Iran's missile programme was designed specifically to survive this type of attack.

Underground facilities, dispersed production sites and large stockpiles were built to ensure the country could absorb military strikes and continue fighting.

While the bombing campaign delivered significant tactical successes, experts warn it may not have solved the underlying problem.

"The US military is very good at creating damage," one analyst observed. "The challenge is turning that tactical success into a lasting strategic victory."

For now, Iran's bulldozers appear to be proving almost as important as its missiles.

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