New satellite images and intelligence assessments have revealed that Tehran succeeded in restoring a significant part of its underground missile infrastructure within a short period. The findings undermine earlier claims by Trump and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth that Iran’s military had been destroyed and rendered unable to fight for years.
According to a report published by the Hebrew newspaper Maariv, Iranian engineering and maintenance teams managed to reopen most of the tunnel entrances that had been damaged or blocked by American airstrikes, based on recent satellite data and geospatial analysis.
The newspaper cited analysis published by CNN showing that Iran had reopened 50 out of 69 entrances to tunnels targeted across 18 underground missile facilities. These entrances had previously suffered direct damage or had been blocked by airstrikes.
Based on satellite imagery and recent geospatial assessments, Iranian engineering and maintenance teams were able to reopen most of the damaged or blocked tunnel entrances. This allowed large sections of the missile bases to be reconnected to road networks and vital operational passages.
Western intelligence reports indicate that Iranian engineering and maintenance units used bulldozers, cranes, and ordinary trucks during the repair process. This suggests that Tehran had pre-prepared emergency plans to deal with scenarios involving intensive attacks and attempts to disable base infrastructure.
According to sources monitoring the developments, the pace at which tunnel entrances were reopened reflects not only engineering capacity but also Iran’s defensive doctrine, which is built around maintaining operations even under direct attack.
This doctrine relies on alternative access routes and additional operational pathways designed to preserve freedom of movement inside facilities even after some entrances are targeted. This approach enabled large parts of the missile bases to be reconnected to essential road networks and operational corridors.
Dezful Base Emerges as a Key Case
Maariv reported that Dezful base is one of the most significant focal points in the findings. According to the evidence, technical teams were able to restore four out of five damaged entrances.
This contributed to the partial restoration of the base’s ability to manoeuvre and deploy launch systems.
Satellite imagery also showed extensive surface damage in the Isfahan area, including several craters caused by bombing. Despite this, assessments suggest that the deep concrete structure of the facilities remained largely intact, limiting the effect of the attacks on the base’s core infrastructure.
At the Khomein facility, work accelerated to remove debris and rebuild emergency exits using large amounts of heavy equipment. This step was aimed at securing the remaining missile stockpile and preserving the operational capacity of the facility.
Only a Temporary Tactical Disruption
Military experts believe the latest developments highlight the limited effectiveness of airstrikes against protected underground facilities.
According to these experts, a large part of the attacks focused on external entrances, road networks, and surface radar systems, while central depots and missile storage facilities located deep underground likely remained outside the scope of direct attack.
Retired Major General and military analyst Hashem Ahmed described what happened on the ground as a “temporary tactical disruption”.
He explained that the attacks succeeded in slowing operations for a limited period, but did not damage the core of Iran’s missile force located inside fortified complexes.
Ahmed added that Iran’s strategy of branched tunnel networks and layered defences gave it the ability to absorb the consequences of the attacks and restore operations faster than initial estimates had suggested.
Retired Major General and military commentator Jalal Al-Khawaldeh said the design of Iranian missile bases relies on a broad network of tunnels and alternative exits.
According to him, this structure reduces the effectiveness of efforts to disable such facilities by targeting only the main gates.
Al-Khawaldeh concluded that the rapid resumption of activity across a large number of bases sends an operational message: Iran’s missile infrastructure was designed to withstand attacks and continue functioning even under a long-term conflict scenario.
According to the published findings, the attacks succeeded in temporarily disrupting part of the operational system. However, Iran was able to restore a significant share of its missile bases by relying on infrastructure built in advance to withstand repeated attacks.
