Billions in hidden costs for the "Yazd missile city", but people are in a bind and in the shadow of a human shield

The revelation of the hidden costs of the "missile city of Yazd" indicates that it is emptying people's pockets and turning residential areas into human shields in the heart of Iran.

In recent years, the development of networks of so-called “missile cities” in Iran has become a central focus of the Islamic Republic’s military strategy; projects that, according to official sources, are designed to increase deterrence, but have also been met with widespread criticism over their high costs and social consequences. Meanwhile, the so-called “missile city” facility in Yazd province has once again come under the spotlight after reports emerged that it had been targeted.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has repeatedly announced the creation of “missile cities” in various parts of Iran over the past few years, describing them as part of the country’s “strategic defense capability.” According to officials, these facilities are built deep underground in a network of intricate tunnels to protect them from potential attacks.

However, details about the cost of construction, how the funds were raised, and even the exact location of many of these centers have never been made public. This lack of transparency has led to increased criticism, especially at a time when a significant portion of society is struggling with economic and livelihood problems.

Independent experts believe that the construction of such complexes, given the depth, engineering complexity and infrastructure required, requires very large investments. While precise official statistics have not been published, many analyses emphasize that these resources could have been spent on sectors such as health, education and public infrastructure.

These criticisms have also been widely expressed in the public sphere and on social media. One of the published reactions states: "Millions of people are hungry, the country's money is worthless, there is no water, no future; but billions are being spent on digging 500 meters under the mountain for a missile city."

"Saeed Shemirani," a political activist and human rights activist in the United States, also wrote in a message in response to the Yazd missile city: "What we didn't know about the 'devil city' was that it kept the people rich but poor. The criminal Islamic terrorists knew it well, but the people didn't. One of the greatest symbols of the spread of poverty among the Iranian people is the missile city in the depths of southwest Yazd. With a metro system for ballistic missiles in the heart of huge granite rocks.

Automated rails transport the warheads and launchers between assembly halls, storage areas, and about 10 blast exit doors. The missile rises to the surface from a depth of 500 meters, mounted on rails. It is launched and returns to the depths before the bombers strike the launcher.

The portals of the automatic missile city have collapsed. The air conditioning and ground-level facilities have been destroyed. But the invisible infrastructure remains intact. Each missile launcher is from a separate exit. Each gate that is destroyed changes the track on the underground railway to a different route. As each gate is destroyed, the IRGC fills it with dirt and concrete, only to dig it up again and reopen it after the bombing stops.

Now half of the infrastructure of Iran's most expensive city has been destroyed. 50 percent remains because no bomb can penetrate 500 meters of granite (formed before mammals existed). That is 12 times the maximum penetration depth of a weapon. This costly crime has not only swallowed up Iran's material wealth, but has other destructive layers as well.

The huge amount of water used to build the missile city has been falsely attributed to Yazd farmers for years, pitting the people of the two provinces against each other. Drying, the destruction of groundwater tables, and land subsidence are some of the costs that the evil city has imposed on Iran, gradually making Isfahan uninhabitable.

Environmentalists in the 1990s witnessed ecosystem collapse, habitat destruction, and ecocide. They saw it all through camouflaged camera traps used to monitor wildlife, census species, and protect natural areas, and were widely detained, tortured, and accused of espionage. “Kavoos Seyed-Emami” also lost his life.

These types of reactions reflect dissatisfaction among a segment of society with the prioritization of national resources, where military security is placed before public welfare.

In recent days, there have been reports of targets near Yazd being targeted. Some media outlets have reported explosions in the mountainous areas surrounding the city, although officials have provided limited details and there has been no independent confirmation from international bodies.

However, these reports have been enough to raise concerns about the location of such facilities, especially in cases where these centers are located near residential or urban areas.

One of the most serious criticisms raised in this context is the issue of the indirect use of civilians as “human shields.” Critics say that deploying military infrastructure near urban areas directly endangers the lives of civilians in the event of a conflict.

In this context, one analysis emphasizes: "When military installations are built next to cities, ordinary people are actually placed on the front lines of danger, without having a choice."

These concerns have increased especially in a situation where regional tensions have increased and the possibility of such centers being targeted is more likely than in the past.

Projects like the "Yazd Missile City" have now become a symbol of a fundamental question: Have the country's macro priorities been properly defined?

While officials emphasize the need to strengthen defense capabilities, critics say that real security only makes sense in the light of the welfare, satisfaction, and social security of citizens. The lack of transparency in costs, the increasing economic pressure on the people, and the potential dangers to residential areas have all made this question more acute.

What is being discussed today in Yazd and other parts of Iran is not simply a military installation; it is rather a symbol of the gap between macro-policies and the daily needs of the people who expect the country's resources to serve their lives and future, above all else.