( CNN ) -- Iran announced Monday that it has built its first ballistic missile silos , airing video of one of the facilities as it began a new round of military exercises . The hardened , underground launch sites will allow Iranian commanders to fire missiles more quickly , Iran 's state-run Press TV reported . A military statement carried by the official Islamic Republic News Agency said the silos were capable of launching long-range missiles . The announcement came as the Islamic republic opened a new round of war games , dubbed `` Great Prophet 6 . '' Iran is expected to test-fire several types of missiles during the exercise , state news agencies reported . Iran 's development of missile and nuclear fuel technology has led to U.N. sanctions and accusations from the United States that the clerical regime is trying to develop nuclear weapons . Iran says it has a right to peaceful nuclear technology , but the International Atomic Energy says it ca n't verify whether Tehran 's nuclear program remains entirely peaceful . The United States and the Soviet Union built more than 1,400 silos to protect their long-range missiles during the Cold War era . In the Iranian statement , military spokesman Col. Asghar Ghelichkhani said the facilities were designed and built with domestic expertise . Western observers say Iran currently has missiles capable of hitting targets up to about 1,300 kilometers ( 800 miles ) away , a range that would cover nearly the entire Middle East and part of southeastern Europe . Iran also launched its first satellite in 2009 .
It maintains surveillance of the missile silos Monday . The silos are capable of launching long - range missiles , it says .