Iran is building a “defensive” tunnel within Tehran’s metro network over fears of further Israeli strikes on the capital.

According to Jafar Tashakori, the head of Tehran’s city council transport committee, this is the first time that a tunnel with “defensive functionalities” has been constructed in the city.

Mr Tashakori said that the tunnel would run between two metro stations and provide direct underground access to a hospital.

“This tunnel connects different parts of the city as part of a broader strategy,” he told reporters in Tehran.

The announcement provides few details about the purpose or nature of the defensive features.

After Israel’s air strikes on military centres near Tehran and several other cities in Iran in October, some Iranian citizens on social media criticised the clerical regime for lack of safety facilities for civilians.

They were frustrated by the paucity of information regarding the Israeli strikes, as well as the fact there were no air raid sirens and shelters in the capital.

The Islamic Republic has so far refused to advise its citizens on what to do during a bombardment.