Fears Iran’s missiles could reach London after Diego Garcia attack
Military experts have warned that Iran could soon have the capability to strike European capitals, after it launched long-range missiles at a key UK-US military base thousands of miles away.
Last night, Tehran launched two ballistic missiles towards the strategically important base on Diego Garcia, a jointly owned base in the Chagos Islands 2,360 miles from Iran.
Neither missile hit its target in the attack, which was condemned by the Ministry of defence as ‘reckless’ and a ‘threat to British interests and British allies’.
One is believed to have malfunctioned during flight, while the other was intercepted by an American warship before impact.
The attempted strike suggests advances in range that could eventually bring parts of Europe within reach.
The Foreign Secretary condemned the strike stressing that the UK has ‘taken a different position from the US and Israel’ on the conflict.
Iran targeted Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands before the government gave the US permission to strike missile sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, but it is not clear exactly when the two intermediate-range ballistic missiles were fired.
The Ministry of Defence declined to comment on when the attack was launched.
The Daily Mail reported that Iran could have used intermediate range ballistic missiles or a space launch vehicle to boost range.
Eyal Zamir, the head of the IDF, said in a televised address that the weapon was capable of reaching European capitals.
‘Iran launched a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 4,000 kilometres toward an American target on Diego Garcia island,’ Zamir said.
‘These missiles are not intended to strike Israel. Their range reaches European capitals — Berlin, Paris, and Rome are all within direct threat range.’
Steve Prest, a retired Royal Navy commodore, told the Daily Mail: ‘Ballistic missiles are space rockets. They launch, they go really high up and they come down really fast. If you’ve got a space program, you’ve got a ballistic missile program.’
The attack on Diego Garcia happened a week after Israeli forces carried out a strike on Iran’s primary space research facility in Tehran, amid concerns it was being used to develop technology capable of targeting satellites in orbit.
Foreign affairs analyst Nawaf Al-Thani said missile threat is ‘no longer confined to the Gulf, Israel or parts of South Asia’, and key European capitals such as Paris would be in the included range. London is in the ‘edge of vulnerability’.
He said in a post on X: ‘For years, the accepted ceiling was around 2,000 kilometres. A ballistic missile reaching Diego Garcia suggests something in the neighbourhood of 4,000 kilometres, which pushes it out of the medium-range category and into the intermediate-range class (IRBM). That is a strategic leap.
‘If confirmed, Diego Garcia was not just a target. It was a message.’
The strike comes just days after an Iranian missile hit a military base in the United Arab Emirates, which is home to US, UK and Australian troops.
Explosions were heard near the military base, which is used by Western nations as a transit hub within the region.
Meanwhile, Iran has said it will continue to stop shipping traffic from US and allied ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which is used to transport a fifth of the world’s oil supplies.
Brits were encouraged on Friday to work from home and use air fryers instead of ovens to lessen demand for energy.
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