Iran Fires Missiles Toward US-UK Base on Diego Garcia

Iran allegedly fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward Diego Garcia, a strategically significant joint US-UK military outpost in the Indian Ocean, according to a Wall Street Journal article published on Friday.

The report claims that one of the missiles malfunctioned in midair and neither of them hit the base. According to the publication, which cited US officials, a US warship tried to use an SM-3 interceptor to intercept the second missile. Whether the interception was successful is still unknown, though.

Regarding the reported incident, neither US nor Iranian authorities have released an official statement.

If verified, the alleged launch would indicate that Iran’s missile capabilities have a wider operating range.

Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean, is about 4,000 kilometers (2,484 miles) from Iran and has been the site of a combined US-UK military presence since the 1970s. Additionally, the base is a vital hub for strategic military capabilities, including long-range bombers.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi chastised UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer earlier on Friday for London’s alleged involvement in the continuing conflict involving the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, claiming that this move is endangering lives and raising tensions in the area.

Araghchi said in a recent post on X that “the vast majority of the British People do not want any part in the Israel-U.S. war of choice on Iran,” claiming that by permitting military collaboration with US-led activities, the UK government is going against popular sentiment.

Araghchi said that Iran would react appropriately, declaring that it “will exercise its right to self-defense,” a statement that emphasizes the right to counterattack in the event that Iranian sovereignty is violated.

Araghchi had previously cautioned the United Kingdom that allowing the United States to utilize British military installations would be considered “participation in aggression.”

The use of RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and the Diego Garcia station in the Indian Ocean for what officials called “defensive” operations against Iranian targets was approved by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.