Iran unsuccessfully targets Diego Garcia base, revealing missiles that can reach Western Europe |
Iran was “unsuccessful” in targeting the joint UK-US Indian Ocean military base at Diego Garcia, a UK official source confirmed to AFP on Saturday, after the Wall Street Journal reported Tehran fired two ballistic missiles at it.
The source said the “unsuccessful targeting of Diego Garcia” took place before the UK government announced Friday that it would allow the United States to use some of its bases to target Iranian sites being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian attack on the Diego Garcia air base — located about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from Iran — suggested Tehran has in its stockpile missiles that can go far further than it had previously acknowledged.
Missiles of that range would put most of Western Europe in range of Iran’s missile arsenal.
Iran has until now said it had a self-imposed limit on its ballistic missile program, limiting their range to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles).
However, US officials long have alleged Iran’s space program could allow it to build intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency also confirmed the attempted strike, saying that targeting the base was a “significant step … that shows that the range of Iran’s missiles is beyond what the enemy previously imagined.”
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Iran had launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward the base but that they did not hit it.
One of the missiles failed in flight, and the other was targeted by an interceptor fired from a US warship, though it was not clear if the missile was hit, The Journal reported.
UK officials have not given details of the attempted strike.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday that Iran’s “lashing out across the region and holding hostage the Strait of Hormuz, are a threat to British interests and British allies.”
Britain has not participated in US-Israeli attacks on Iran, but has allowed American bombers to use UK bases to attack Iran’s missile sites.
On Friday, the British government said US bombers can also use UK bases, including Diego Garcia, in operations to prevent Iran attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran targeted the base before that UK statement.
The Pentagon declined to comment.
Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands is one of two bases Britain is allowing the United States to use for “defensive” operations in Iran.
The air base is home to about 2,500 mostly American personnel and has supported US military operations from Vietnam to Iraq, Afghanistan and strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Diego Garcia is part of the Chagos Islands, a remote archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean off the tip of India. The islands have been under British control since 1814.
They are at the center of a UK spat with President Donald Trump over Britain’s plans to hand sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius. Britain would then lease back the Diego Garcia base.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the move will safeguard the base’s future, which is currently vulnerable to legal challenge. The Trump administration initially welcomed the deal, but in January Trump called it “an act of GREAT STUPIDITY.”
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the Iran war right now? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock under difficult conditions to cover this conflict;
Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and emails; and
Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
1 Fragment from downed Iranian missile impacts in Jerusalem’s Old City; Rehovot homes damaged
2 Iran threatens to target tourist, recreational sites worldwide as it keeps up attacks on Gulf
3 Mossad chief told PM before war that he thought Iran’s regime could be toppled – report
4 Trump rules out ceasefire with Iran, then says he’s considering ‘winding down’ campaign
5 Germany pulls support for Israel in ICJ genocide case as it faces own accusations
6 Joe Kent hints to Tucker Carlson that Israel may have killed Charlie Kirk to stoke Iran war
7 Cornell president rejects students’ anti-Israel resolutions, citing ‘political bias’
8 Cops forcefully clear Eid prayers outside Jerusalem’s Old City amid Iran war closure
UK Ministry of Defense