Iran's Revolutionary Guards unveil new underground naval base

Iran's Revolutionary Guards unveiled an underground naval missile base at an undisclosed Persian Gulf location on Saturday two days before Trump's return to the White House.

The base is one of several built underground for vessels capable of launching long-range missiles and carry out distant warfare, IRGC Chief Commander Hossein Salami said after visiting the secret base during war games.

Footage released by IRGC-affiliated media and the state TV showed tunnels with long rows of "a new version of Taregh-class radar-evading speedboats which can launch cruise missiles."

The base was built at a depth of 500 meters (yards) somewhere in the Persian Gulf, according to the state TV report.

Iran started massive military exercises earlier this month that are due to last two months and have already included war games in which the IRGC defended nuclear installations in Natanz against mock attacks by missiles and drones.

The drills are held at a time when tension with the United States is widely expected to rise following Donald Trump's inauguration.

Tehran is concerned that Trump might empower Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.