TEHRAN — Iran on Tuesday night wheeled out what it said was a ballistic missile during a pro-regime rally in Tehran’s Enghelab Square, according to state media.
Footage from Iranian state broadcaster IRIB shows large crowds gathering in the square in the heart of the capital as a two-week ceasefire was set to expire. US President Donald Trump extended the truce with Iran Tuesday night.
Images showed people waving flags next to what Iran said was its Khorramshahr 4 medium-range ballistic missile. Iranian rockets were also displayed at rallies in other cities on Tuesday, state media showed.
The display came as peace talks between Iran and the United States appeared to flounder on Wednesday and a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force threatened the oil production sites of Gulf neighbors who help Iran’s enemies.
According to estimates by US officials, Iran is also actively digging out missile stockpiles that were buried under rubble as a result of strikes on warehouses and depots.
After the ceasefire began, Iranian forces started retrieving around 100 additional systems from fortified bunkers. This made it possible to restore the number of available launchers to about 60% of pre-war levels, The New York Times reported citing US intelligence.
On completing this work, the country will be able to restore up to 70% of its ballistic missile arsenal, the report said.
Iran has also managed to keep about 40% of its prewar strike drone arsenal.
Although US warships have been effective at shooting them down, these drones still pose a threat to commercial tankers that lack their own defenses, The Times reported.
Although estimates of weapons stockpiles are not entirely precise, intelligence assessments agree that the available resources are sufficient to fully block shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in the future. — Agencies
Source: Saudi Gazette