Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles From Underground for 1st Time

This handout photo provided by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on July 28, 2020 shows rockets being fired from a launch vehicle during a military exercise near the Strait of Hormuz - SEPAH NEWS/AFP
This handout photo provided by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on July 28, 2020 shows rockets being fired from a launch vehicle during a military exercise near the Strait of Hormuz - SEPAH NEWS/AFP
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Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles From Underground for 1st Time

This handout photo provided by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on July 28, 2020 shows rockets being fired from a launch vehicle during a military exercise near the Strait of Hormuz - SEPAH NEWS/AFP
This handout photo provided by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on July 28, 2020 shows rockets being fired from a launch vehicle during a military exercise near the Strait of Hormuz - SEPAH NEWS/AFP

Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards fired ballistic missiles from underground for the first time on Wednesday during the second day of military exercises near Gulf waters.

Head of the aerospace division of the Guards Amirali Hajizadeh said in a video posted online by Young Journalists Club, a news agency linked to Iran’s state TV, that this came as part of the annual military drill.

The video showed clouds of dust before the missiles streaked into the sky.

This came a day after the IRGC struck a mock-up of a US aircraft carrier with volleys of missiles near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for a fifth of world oil output.

The Guards hailed "the successful launch of ballistic missiles from the depths of the Earth in a completely camouflaged way" as an "important achievement that could pose serious challenges to enemy intelligence organizations," AFP reported.

They also said they released bombs from Sukhoi Su-22 fighter-bombers to target predetermined positions on Bani Farur Island in Iran's territorial waters.

"These launches were carried out without the platform and usual equipment," Hajizadeh said on state television.

"The buried missiles suddenly tear through the ground and hit their targets with precision," he said, adding again that this happened "for the first time in the world".

The US military said the drill caused two bases with US troops in the region to go on heightened alert and said Tehran’s missile launches were irresponsible.

According to Reuters, Tehran holds annual naval war games in phases in the strategic waterway, the conduit for some 30% of all crude and other oil liquids traded by sea.



Iran Extends Access to Airspace for Overflights after Ceasefire

People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
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Iran Extends Access to Airspace for Overflights after Ceasefire

People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran, Iran, June 28, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Iran has expanded access to its airspace for international overflights following a ceasefire with Israel, though flight restrictions remain in place across much of the country, an official said Saturday.

"In addition to the eastern half of the country's airspace being available for domestic, international and overflight operations, the airspace over the central and western parts of the country has now also been opened only for international overflights," Majid Akhavan, spokesman for the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, said in a statement carried by the IRNA state news agency.

Flights to and from airports in the north, south and west of the country, including Tehran's Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini international airports, remained suspended, according to Akhavan.

"All fellow citizens are requested not to go to airports located in the northern, southern and western regions of the country," he said, urging travelers to follow updates through official sources only.

The move comes after Iran reopened its eastern airspace on Wednesday, following a ceasefire that ended 12 days of fighting with Israel.

Iran had closed its skies entirely on June 13 after Israel launched a wave of airstrikes, prompting Iranian missile retaliation.

Airports now operating include Mashhad in eastern Iran -- which Israel claimed to have targeted during the conflict -- as well as Chabahar in the southeast.

Flights in other regions remain suspended until further notice.