Satellite images from 10 April show front-end loaders scooping rubble from the blocked entrances of underground missile bases in Iran. The activity was recorded at sites near Khomeyn in central Iran and south of Tabriz in the north-west.
Why it matters
The images confirm that Iran is using the ceasefire window to restore access to its buried missile arsenal, raising the stakes of the Islamabad peace talks as the 22 April deadline approaches.
What the images show
According to CNN, heavy machinery has been clearing debris from tunnel entrances that US and Israeli forces had bombed during the five-week conflict. Dump trucks were photographed hauling rubble away from the sites. The strategy of striking tunnel entrances aimed to trap mobile missile launchers underground, preventing them from deploying or reloading.
The intelligence assessment
US intelligence agencies assess that roughly half of Iran’s mobile missile launchers survived the air campaign intact. The underground bases, known as “missile cities,” were designed to withstand initial strikes and enable rapid reconstitution during a pause in fighting.
Expert analysis
Analysts at the Soufan Center noted that Iran’s missile and drone arsenal remains potent despite five weeks of intensive strikes. The restoration effort is consistent with how the underground network was designed to function. A ceasefire, by definition, requires accepting that an adversary will rebuild some of the capability that was degraded.
Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that “the ball is in the Iranian court” regarding a return to negotiations. The ceasefire expires on 22 April.