Iran is constructing its first-ever “defensive” tunnel network within Tehran’s metro system following a national embarrassment in October when Israeli airstrikes had free rein targeting military sites at will.

The project, announced on Tuesday by Tehran’s city council transport committee, will connect different parts of the city through a tunnel with “defensive functionalities” between metro stations, providing direct underground access to a hospital, though specific details about the defensive features remain undisclosed.

Notoriously, the regime’s lack of concern for the safety of its residents is glaring, with dissidents on social media expressing frustration over the absence of air raid sirens and shelters in the capital as well as the limited information provided by the government about Israel’s recent strikes.

During its 2020 missile strikes against American-led forces in Iraq, Iran kept its airspace open, resulting in the tragic downing of a plane that killed all 176 people aboard after the IRGC mistook it for a US missile. Similarly, civilian flights dangerously continued during Iran’s missile barrages on Israel in April and October 2024.

On Monday, the Telegram channel Saberin, known for its close ties to Iran’s regional allies, released footage of an underground city housing IRGC drones and missiles.

Meanwhile, as Iranian officials warn of retaliation, Israel’s newly appointed defense minister, Israel Katz, has declared that the Islamic Republic is “more exposed than ever to strikes on its nuclear facilities,” adding, “We have the opportunity to achieve our most important goal – to thwart and eliminate the existential threat to the state of Israel.”