The leadership in Baghdad is pressuring Tehran-aligned armed groups not to attack Israeli targets to avoid a punishing military response, The New Arab news outlet reported on Wednesday.
The display comes against a backdrop of heightened rhetoric from Washington, which has warned of potential military action if Tehran does not curb its nuclear program, limit its missile development, and cease support for regional militant groups.
The unveiling, widely covered by Iranian domestic media, featured senior military figures including the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri, and the commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, Amirali Hajizadeh, at an undisclosed underground facility.
Reports identified various missile types at the location, including the KheibarShekan, Haj Qassem, Ghadr H, Sejjil, and Emad.
Despite Bagheri's assertions of significantly enhanced missile capabilities and preparations for a future capacity far exceeding Iran's strikes on Israel, the claim that these bases are new cannot be independently verified, as their locations are typically undisclosed.
Iran’s military has previously released images of similar underground facilities, prompting speculation that the newly publicized base may be an older site repurposed for a fresh media campaign.
Adding a nuanced layer to the display, Iranians on social media have pointed out a potential shift in symbolic messaging.
Unlike a similar video released previously showcasing a comparable missile base with both US and Israeli flags painted on a corridor floor – a common practice at Iranian state buildings and military bases intended for symbolic humiliation – the current unveiling reportedly only features the Israeli flag.
The absence of the US flag has been interpreted by some online as a possible signal that Iran might be subtly toning down its direct rhetoric towards the US amidst the heightened tensions and the significant US military buildup in the region.
The IRGC Aerospace Force commander, Hajizadeh, has previously claimed that Iran possesses hundreds of such underground missile sites across the country, a number so vast that unveiling one per week would take two years.
Iran has long prioritized the development of its missile program, which it views as a crucial deterrent, in the absence of an effective air force.
The unveiling also occurs as the United States is in the middle of a bombing campaign on Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Washington says that the Houthis are directed by Tehran, a claim Iran denies, and has threatened direct action against Iran if its support for the group continues.
Trump, in late March, said that confronting Iranian threats was reaching its final stages, suggesting resolution through either negotiation or military action.
A recent report by Axios also indicated that Trump’s letter to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has set a two-month deadline for a new nuclear agreement, threatening military intervention if no deal is reached.
The move follows a reported effort by a senior Iranian military commander urging Tehran's armed allies in Iraq and Yemen to stand down attacks on their Mideast nemesis, potentially signaling an Iranian desire for detente in the region.
Iran faces an ultimatum by US President Donald Trump to ink a new nuclear deal or face attack after its home front and armed allies in the region have been dealt historic military blows from Israel in over a year of war
Influential figures in Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s government and the Coordination Framework coalition — a group of Iran-aligned political factions — are urging militia leaders not to carry out operations that could trigger retaliation from Israel or the United States, The New Arab reported citing Iraqi sources.
Some Iran-backed militias in Iraq have moved and reorganized their weapons stockpiles and bases in recent days, the report added, anticipating possible Israeli strikes in response to earlier drone and missile attacks launched from Iraq.
Earlier this month, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said the United States had stepped in to stop Israel from launching retaliatory strikes on Iraqi territory.
A senior member of the Iraqi Resistance Coordination, the umbrella group for pro-Iran militias in Iraq, was quoted by The New Arab as saying that the government and senior political leaders have directly appealed to faction commanders.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said groups like Kata'ib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba are still considering fresh attacks on Israel if it continues its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
After the Hamas-led assault on October 7, 2023, seven Iraqi armed factions formed what they called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. They launched drones and missiles at Israeli targets, including strikes that reached the Golan Heights.
Following a deadly drone strike in January 2024 on a US outpost in Jordan known as Tower 22 — which killed three US soldiers and injured 47 — the US launched retaliatory airstrikes on Iran-backed militia sites in Iraq and Syria.
Soon after, Kata'ib Hezbollah said it would pause operations against US forces to avoid putting pressure on the Iraqi government, which had called for calm.
Esmail Qaani, commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, visited Baghdad recently and reportedly told allied militias not to respond to threats from Israel or the US.
Qaani met with leaders of the Coordination Framework, commanders of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), and Iran’s ambassador to Iraq, Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh, according to Asharq Al-Awsat and Shafaq News.
A similar message was also passed by the senior commander to Yemen’s Houthi movement through intermediaries in Iraq. The effort is seen as part of Tehran’s strategy to prevent a broader war at a time of rising tensions across the region.
