Iran
Imam Ali Missile Base
About
The Imam Ali Missile Base is one of two Iranian silo missile bases.1 Former Iranian President Khatami reportedly “ordered the production of 15 Shahab-3 missiles, to be deployed in underground bunkers near Khorramabad.”2 The underground silos present at the base appear to be large enough to host Shahab-3 missiles.3 Iran also deploys mobile transporter erector-launchers, to be launched from pre-surveyed launch points, at the base.4 The heavily guarded complex appears to consist of two main facilities, one of them a storage facility and the second an operational missile launch facility.5
This facility was attacked and damaged by Israeli airstrikes in June of 2025 as part of the conflict between Iran and Israel.6 This strike was part of a larger operation targeting nuclear and missile infrastructure in Iran.
Glossary
- Silo
- Hardened underground facility for housing and launching a ballistic missile.
- Deployment
- The positioning of military forces – conventional and/or nuclear – in conjunction with military planning.
Sources
- Iran’s Ballistic Missile Capabilities: A Net Assessment, The International Institute for Strategic Studies, (London, 2010), p.118.
- C. Bown, E. Jorgensen, G. Kampani and F. Wehling, “Nuclear- and Missile-Related Trade and Developments for Selected Countries, March-June 1999,” The Nonproliferation Review, Fall 1999, p. 194.
- Iran’s Ballistic Missile Capabilities: A Net Assessment, The International Institute for Strategic Studies, (London, 2010), p.119.
- Sean O’ Connor, “Khorramabad Missile Silos,” IMINT & Analysis, 25 February 2009, http://geiming.blogspot.com.
- Sean O’ Connor, “Khorramabad Missile Silos,” IMINT & Analysis, 25 February 2009, http://geiming.blogspot.com.
- According to satellite analysis by Sam Lair at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, June 2025.
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