Link to article: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/16/iran-reveals-underground-missile-city-as-regional-tensions-rise.html
Iran has recently aired footage of a new Revolutionary Guard base; a “missile city” armed with cruise and ballistic weapons. There appears to be advanced munitions including scores of missiles lined up along concrete walls inside of the facility, and electronic warfare equipment, including radar, monitoring devices, and simulation and disruption system outside.
The underground facility is one of several that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard has built along the Gulf coast as tensions with the U.S. and Israel rise. Iran’s displaying of its missile capabilities coincides with larger efforts to exert pressure on the U.S. government in response to extensive U.S. sanctions.
The United States and Iran remain at a standoff because of both governments’ desire to return to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The nuclear deal offers Iran economic relief from sanctions in return for limits to its nuclear program. However, as they both want each other to offer concessions first, Iran demands that the U.S. lifts sanctions, while the U.S. refuses to lift sanctions unless Iran reverses its breaches of the nuclear deal. The breaches include increasing their uranium stockpile beyond the boundaries of the JCPOA deal, prohibiting U.N inspector access to its nuclear facilities, and producing uranium metal.
This article is important because Iran’s new Revolutionary Guard base introduces questions about how the United States and European countries are going to revive the nuclear deal. Iran’s growing missile capability continues to complicate decisions made by the Biden administration regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Now, Iran’s missile capabilities will make a new nuclear deal in the future much more difficult to achieve. President Joe Biden faces dilemmas such as having to confront and curtail Iran’s missile activity while managing relations with key regional security partners.
This article relates to what we’ve been learning in class because it demonstrates geopolitical realities. Certain geographical regions are more important than others in regards to their geo-political significance because of the resources it has to offer. Iran is an energy superpower, ranking 4th in the world of oil reserves. In terms of atomic energy, Iran also increased its total enriched uranium stockpile to 2,967.8 kilograms (6,542.9 pounds), up from 2,442.9 kilograms (5,385.7 pounds) reported on Nov. 2, the IAEA reported. These resources give Iran a valuable geopolitical presence and are the reason that the U.S. and other major world powers are so concerned with Iran’s growing missile capabilities and becoming involved.