IRGC Unveils Dezful Smart SSM, Top-Secret Underground Missile Factory; IRGC Commander Jafari Says Iran's Ability to Deter Is "Certain"

On February 7, 2019, Channel 1 TV (Iran) aired a report about the IRGC's unveiling of a top-secret underground ballistic missile factory and the Dezful smart surface-to-surface ballistic missile. The factory and missile were unveiled in honor of the 40^th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution and of the Fajr decade. Major-General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the IRGC, said that Iran's ability to deter is "certain," and that Iran's ballistic missiles are for the protection of Iran and the "oppressed and downtrodden nations in the region." General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force, was also present at the unveiling, and he explained that the Dezful missile is engineered in a fashion similar to the Zolfaghar missile, but that it has twice the destructive capacity and a range of 1,000 kilometers. The reporter assertively said that Iran answers "to no one but God and [its] conscience," and he added: "May those who are jealous be blinded by their envy."

Following are excerpts:

Anchor: [Iran has taken] a big step to strengthen its missile defense [capabilities]. Dezful, the smart surface-to-surface missile, was unveiled in the IRGC aerospace force's underground ballistic missile factory. This is the first time that the IRGC underground factory for the production of precision ballistic missiles was shown to the media. The IRGC commander said that the unveiling of the underground production city is a response to Westerners who think that sanctions and threats can limit the Iranian nation.

Reporter: May those who are jealous be blinded by their envy. This is our right, and rights are taken, not given. With determination, an iron will, committed young people, and scientists even younger than our Revolution that is now 40 years old – we have taken this right.

Major General Mohammed Ali Jafari: On the Revolution's 40^th anniversary, we declare our full defensive capabilities.

Reporter: We have reached the pinnacle of missile technology, of precision-strike technology, and of the production of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles. We have now unveiled the pinnacle of [our] honor and pride, which is located hundreds of meters underground.

General Amir Ali Hajizadeh: This option is dear to us, and it is vital. Naturally, we are keeping it in a place that the enemy cannot easily get to.

Reporter: This is a place where the hands of man have not gotten, and will not get.

Major General Mohammad Ali Jafar: A safe place that no person can get to.

Reporter: This is a place in the middle of nowhere.

[…]

Let the minds of those who conspire against Islamic Iran be constantly occupied with this. Let them think: "Where is this place? What is this place in our country that is producing power, security, and greatness?"

Major General Mohammad Ali Jafar: They know that the capabilities of the Islamic Republic have gotten to a point that its [ability] to deter is certain. This is why they do not have any plans to act on their military threats against Iran.

Reporter: With determination, we are creating various kinds of precise ballistic missiles, and we answer to no one but God and our conscience.

Interviewer: All the regional interests of the arrogant global [powers] and of the enemies of Islamic Iran are within range of the IRGC's missiles, right?

Major General Mohammad Ali Jafar: Yes.

Interviewer: An enemy is an enemy… Is the enemy itself also within range of the IRGC missiles?

Major General Mohammad Ali Jafar: They have so many interests and such a large military presence here. They [need] to have a presence within a 2,000-KM radius of Iran. Since they themselves are present, particularly the security, political, and other elements, their vulnerability is sufficient.

[…]

General Amir Ali Hajizadeh: This is a shelf that fits onto these…

Reporter: The missiles are for purposes of our security, independence, and freedom. They are for every Iranian who loves the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Major General Mohammad Ali Jafar: [The missiles are] in order to protect our nation and the oppressed and downtrodden nations in the region, that may ask for help from the Islamic Republic, and we will certainly aid them without any limitation.

Reporter: The missiles will remain unused as long as nobody messes with us. But woe upon the day that they are used.

General Amir Ali Hajizadeh: This part flies with the missile until the last moment so that it can be guided to the target.

Reporter: This is one of the most secret factories in Islamic Iran for the production of precise surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.

[…]

The enemy should know: Next to every one of our underground missile silos, there is a well-equipped factory in which Islamic Iran's scientists are producing missiles.

General Amir Ali Hajizadeh: This is ready for launch within 5 to 6 minutes.

[…]

This is the Dezful missile. Its destructive power compared to the Zolfaghar missile… The weight is the same. It is the same weight, but its destructive power is twice as great.

Reporter: The Dezful missile was also unveiled today.

[…]

This is a precision surface-to-surface ballistic [missile] that recently joined its ballistic brothers and arrived at mass production in the missile factories.

General Amir Ali Hajizadeh: In terms of size and dimensions, the Dezful is very similar to the engineering of the Zolfaghar. The Zolfaghar missile has a range of 700 kilometers, and this one has a range of approximately 1,000 kilometers.

Reporter: There was a time when by using hundreds of foreign bombs, missiles, cannons, and bullets, Saddam caused the oppressed people of the city of Dezful to tremble in fear. Little did the world know that on the 40^th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, it would be Dezful that would cause the global arrogant [powers] to tremble in fear. Maybe "Iranophobia" isn't such a bad term. Those who came up with it know very well that Iran's enemies need to be scared of Iran, day and night.

Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari: This unveiling is to mark the 40^th anniversary of the Revolution's victory and the Fajr decade. Because our enemies wished back then that other things would happen, we wanted to prove to them that the path of our defense and defensive capabilities has not changed.

Reporter: They know very well that Iran's friends are all of the oppressed people that will always be under the supportive umbrella of dear Iran.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: Yes, we have missiles. Precise missiles. Our missiles can strike a target from several thousand kilometers away within a radius of a few meters. We achieved this on our own. We will protect this with all our power, and we will make it greater with all our power, God willing.

Reporter: The matter of the Zionists and their occupying regime is clear. They do not really matter. Our warning is for America and the West. Our warning is for the sycophants of the world. We have come to prove that the missile industry that we –the Iranians – have is nobody's business. This is one of the Islamic Republic of Iran's enormous underground complexes for the production of ballistic missiles. May those who are jealous be blinded by their envy.