Iran reconstructs Parchin missile complex following Israeli strikes. Image: Shutterstock.
(The Post News)– Iran has begun rebuilding missile-manufacturing plants destroyed by Israeli airstrikes during the 12-day conflict in June, new satellite photos examined by the Associated Press have revealed. The rapid rebuilding is a sign of Tehran’s determination to restore its missile capability, a valuable deterrent as tensions with Israel and the West go deeper.
But they warn that a critical component remains missing: the planet mixers utilized to make solid rocket fuel. The large industrial equipment, the subject of Israel’s attack, ensures missile propellant gets immaculately blended. Without them, Iran’s missile manufacturing might be substantially impeded.
“If they are able to retake some of the fundamentals like planetary mixers, then the infrastructure is intact and ready to go again,” commented Sam Lair of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.
Missiles Central to Iran’s Strategy
Iran’s missile capability was extensively used in the June war. Tehran had fired 574 ballistic missiles at Israel during the war, apart from more than 300 fired earlier this year, according to the Washington-based Jewish Institute for National Security of America.
Israel estimated Iran’s pre-war stock at 2,500 missiles, which would have left more than one-third of its missile inventory available for combat. Before the attacks, Iran was reported to produce up to 200 solid-fuel missiles a month, a production that had Israel targeting Parchin, Shahroud, and Khojir plants. “Israel’s target list implies they believed mixing was a constraint on Iran’s production of missiles,” said analyst Carl Parkin.
Iranian Defence Minister Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh formally declared that the war redirected priorities: “We are now focused on producing military equipment with more precision and more operational capabilities.” Experts predict that Iran might turn to China to import mixers and chemicals for fuel. The U.S. long blamed Chinese companies for delivering missile-related materials to Iran. Beijing publicly declared support for the sovereignty of Tehran while calling for stability in the region.
Can Kasapoğlu, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, warned that Chinese assistance may not simply end with mixers: “If Iran uses its friendship with China to aid its destabilizing military capabilities, the 12-day war may be but a speed bump for the Iranian regime, and not a final defeat.”
Nuclear Dispute and Looming Sanctions
President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the U.S. and Israel for “dealing a grievous blow” to peace efforts as he spoke to the United Nations General Assembly. He reiterated that Tehran “will never pursue a nuclear bomb,” holding European powers responsible for joining Washington in opposing sanctions.
The UK, Germany, and France, the E3, have begun a process to restore UN sanctions unless Iran becomes more open to inspectors and reduces enriched uranium reserves. Sanctions will automatically “snap back” after no agreement is made by September 27, focusing on missile development, freezing assets, and ending arms sales.
Meanwhile, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected direct talks with the United States as a “dead end.” Hardline lawmakers are demanding nuclear weapons research if sanctions are imposed.
Satellite photos show the damaged mixing halls at Parchin and Shahroud being rebuilt. Lair noted that, unlike nuclear sites targeted in the war in June, missile facilities are being rebuilt at full pace, which is indicative of their priority. They are clearly very dedicated to their missile program, and I don’t think that they’re ever going to relinquish it in the negotiations,” Lair said.
With the deadline for UN sanctions looming, Iran’s success at retrieving planetary mixers, perhaps from China, can be the make-or-break point for whether its missile program is back at pre-war levels or stalls under international pressure.
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