Iran has reportedly revealed its underground air force base, the first such base that can house its fighter jets. This follows previous details revealed by Tehran of another base that houses drones.
Iran’s IRNA news outlet reported on Tuesday that the country had unveiled its underground air force base, also referred to as “Eagle 44,” which is capable of storing fighter jets and drones. The report did not reveal the location of the base, but IRNA said it was one of Iran’s most important air force bases built deep underground that has fighter jets equipped with long-range missiles.
“Any attack on Iran from our enemies, including Israel, will see a response from our many air force bases including Eagle 44,” Iran’s armed forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri told state TV.
The unveiling this year follows previous details revealed by Iran’s army back in May of another underground base that houses drones as Tehran looks to protect its military assets from potential air strikes by its adversary Israel.
On Monday, Reuters reported that Iranian state firms along with the firms in Venezuela, are set to undergo a 100-day revamp of Venezuela’s largest oil refining complex to restore its crude distillation capacity, according to four sources familiar with the matter.
The Venezuelan state firm Petroleos de Venezuela and the Iranian state-owned National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company will work together to boost fuel output at the Paraguana Refining Center.
This marks the first step towards Venezuela ending its reliance on US refinery technology, according to the sources. This comes as Venezuela has struggled in recent years to produce enough gasoline and fuel because of refinery outages, even as the nation has the world’s largest crude reserves. Other factors included the lack of investment and sanctions from the US that led to obstacles in imports.
In recent years, Iran has also strengthened its ties with Venezuela, providing crude and condensate as well as parts and feedstock for Venezuela’s 1.3 million barrel per day refining network. The companies are expected to sign a contract worth 460 million euros in the coming weeks to revamp the 995,000 bpd Paraguana refinery complex located on the coast of western Venezuela.