U.K. confirms Iran fired two missiles at British-American base
The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) or Chagos Islands (formerly the Oil Islands) is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom situated in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Africa and Indonesia. The largest island is Diego Garcia (area 44 km squared), the site of a joint military facility of the United Kingdom and the United States. (Photo by: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Pictures From History | Universal Images Group | Getty Images
Iran fired two missiles at the joint British-American Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean but they failed to reach their target, a U.K. minister said Sunday, confirming earlier reports of the number of projectiles.
“Our assessment is that the Iranians certainly targeted Diego Garcia. As we understand it, one missile fell short, failed. The other was intercepted and prevented,” U.K. Housing Secretary Steve Reed told BBC television.
Reed declined to say how far short the missiles fell.
“There is no specific assessment that the Iranians are targeting the U.K. or even could if they wanted to,” Reed added.
Iran targeted Diego Garcia with a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile, Israel’s military said Saturday. This refers to missiles with at least two rocket engines, one allowing the missile to reach space, and the other propels it to its target, at a range of up to 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles).
“These missiles are not intended to strike Israel. Their range extends to the capitals of Europe — Berlin, Paris, and Rome are all within direct threat range,” Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said.
Infographic with map locating the Chagos Islands and the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia (Graphic by Lise KIENNEMANN and Valentina BRESCHI / AFP via Getty Images)
Lise Kiennemann | Afp Infographics | Getty Images
The Wall Street Journal first reported the attack on Friday, citing multiple U.S. officials.
The reported attack marked Iran’s first operational use of intermediate-range ballistic missiles and a significant attempt to reach far beyond the Middle East and threaten U.S. interests, the Wall Street Journal said.
“Iran’s reckless attacks, lashing out across the region and holding hostage the Strait of Hormuz, are a threat to British interests and British allies,” the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement sent to CNBC on Saturday. “[Royal Air Force] jets and other U.K. military assets are continuing to defend our people and personnel in the region.”
The MoD said Iran’s unsuccessful targeting of the base happened before the U.K. approved, a day earlier, the use of its bases by U.S. forces for defensive operations.
The U.K. has given the U.S. permission to use its bases at RAF Fairford in England and at Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands for “specific and limited defensive operations,” the MoD said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said Friday that ministers had approved U.S. forces’ use of British bases to defend the region,…
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