Iran recently fired two ballistic missiles at the Diego Garcia military base – shared by the British and US militaries since the 1970s – in the Indian Ocean, more than 4,000 km from its territory, in a significant attempt by Tehran to target US interests outside the Middle East.
Both missiles missed their targets, with one misfiring in flight, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The second was meanwhile targeted by an SM-3 interceptor, although it is unclear whether the missile was successfully intercepted. The report did not specify when Iran launched the missiles.
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Iran’s capabilities greater than expected
Iran’s ballistic missiles typically have a range of up to 3,000 km, and the targeting of Diego Garcia suggests that Tehran’s capabilities are greater than previously thought – Agenda Free TV’s Steve Lookner noted: “Iran’s targeting of Diego Garcia, some 4,000 kilometers from Iran, means its missiles have a greater range than Tehran previously acknowledged.”
Iran’s medium-range ballistic missiles have a range of 1,000 to 3,000 km, according to a 2025 Alma Research and Education Center report.
Tehran’s Khorramshahr missile has the longest range, between 2,000 and 3,000 km, followed by the Emad, which has a range of 1,800 km. The Ghadr, meanwhile, has a range of 1,600–2,000 km.
Iran’s other missiles, Shahab-3 and Rezvan, have ranges of 1,300 km and 1,400 km, respectively, according to the Alma report.
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UK allows US to use air bases for Hormuz operations
The news came hours after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed to allow the US to use British bases to strike Iranian sites targeting ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Prime Minister Starmer previously authorized US forces to only use UK bases for defensive operations to prevent Iran from launching missiles that threaten British lives or interests, the BBC reported.
British bases used by the US were RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
Commenting on the move, Trump told reporters it was a “very late response” from the UK.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the UK’s decision made it a party to aggression against Tehran: “These actions will definitely be considered participation in aggression and will be recorded in the history of relations between the two countries,” he said.
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The US President released a message on Truth Social on Friday about the need to protect the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Strait of Hormuz will have to be guarded and policed as needed by the other nations that use it – not the United States! If asked, we will assist those countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it should not be necessary once the Iranian threat is eradicated. The important thing is that it will be an easy military operation for them,” Trump said on the Truth Social website.
He has previously called on several countries, including the UK and China, to help keep the key shipping waterway safe, as well as calling NATO “cowards” and warning of “bad consequences” for not sending warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
