LONDON – Iran fired missiles at the joint UK-US conference Diego García Military Base in the Indian Ocean, saying the strike shows it is capable of attacking at longer ranges than previously thought.
“Iran’s irresponsible attacks, which are targeting the entire region and taking hostages the Strait of Hormuzpose a threat to British interests and British allies,” a spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defense said on Saturday, confirming the failure of the strike.
Tehran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the base on the Chagos Islands, an isolated British Overseas Territory located more than 2,000 miles from TehranIran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Saturday. Neither missile hit the base, the statement added, although neither Iran nor the United Kingdom said how close the missiles came to Diego Garcia.
The distance of the attempted strike could indicate that Iran has long-range attack capabilities that it has previously denied, with the base being the same distance from Iran as it is from much of central Europe. It is unclear, however, whether the missiles carried a payload or how far such an attack could actually reach, as neither missile hit its target.
In a interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country had intentionally kept the range of its missiles below 1,250 miles “because we don’t want to be seen as a threat by anyone in the world.”
The Wall Street Journal, citing several officials, reported that one of the missiles was shot down by a U.S. warship and the other failed in mid-air.
Mehr said targeting the base was an “important step… which shows that the range of Iranian missiles is beyond what the enemy had previously imagined.”
One analyst said the intercepted missile could be a “candidate for the longest-range missile” the United States has ever shot down.
Iran has been testing “big, solid missiles” over the years, Tom Karako, who directs the missile defense project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told NBC News. “So it’s not surprising at all.”
There has been speculation before that Iran might be capable of striking beyond the claimed 1,250-mile limit, he added, “they just haven’t shown their cards.” The attack on Diego Garcia “seems to be” that moment, he said.
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Friday’s attack came shortly before Britain announced it would allow the United States to use its bases, including Diego Garcia, to strike targets near the Strait of Hormuz.
Government ministers agreed to allow the US military to use its bases to conduct “defensive operations” aimed at protecting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the office said. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday, weeks into a conflict that has seen Britain, like most European countries, largely stay on the sidelines.
About 20% of the world’s daily oil consumption passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which runs along part of the Iranian coast. But since the start of the war at the end of February, navigation in the Channel has stopped.
President Donald Trump said the decision to allow the use of UK bases was “a very late response from the UK”. He previously criticized the nation for its perceived lack of support in Iran, saying its Starmer was “not Winston Churchill”. He called NATO allies “cowards” on Friday for refusing to offer warships to support the reopening of the shipping canal, even though he had previously said their support would not be necessary.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Starmer was “putting British lives at risk” by allowing the use of bases.
“The vast majority of the British people want no part in Israel and the United States’ war of choice against Iran,” Araghchi wrote on
Starmer has so far walked a tightrope over Iran, balancing diplomatic relations with Trump and protecting the UK’s assets in the Mediterranean while avoiding direct involvement in a war that poll shows is extremely unpopular with the British public.
The Diego Garcia base is approximately 2,360 miles from Iran and is home to an air base capable of accommodating long-range U.S. bombers.
The Chagos Islands, which are home to the base, are part of a separate rift between the UK and the Trump administration, after Britain agreed to cede sovereignty over the territory to Mauritius and re-lease the base.
Trump has vacillated between supporting the proposed deal and publicly attacking Starmer over it, recently urging Starmer not to “betray Diego Garcia” in February, despite official support from Washington just days before.
Mauritius, an Indian Ocean country and close ally of China, had argued that it had been illegally forced to cede the archipelago to gain independence from Britain. The International Court of Justice sided with Mauritius in a case concerning the territory in 2019, issuing an advisory ruling declaring the British occupation illegal.
Under the Starmer-backed deal, the UK and US will retain a 99-year lease on the Diego Garcia military base.
