The capitals of Western European countries are approximately the same distance from Tehran as the Diego Garcia airbase on the Chagos Islands, which Iran shelled on Thursday.
Tehran launched two medium-range ballistic missiles at the American-British military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, and this is a serious warning for Europe's security, as this base is located approximately the same distance from Iran as London or Paris. This is reported by The Times, citing diplomatic and intelligence sources.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that this was the first instance since the beginning of the operation when Iran launched a missile capable of reaching a distance of about 4000 km. "The Iranian terrorist regime poses a global threat… with missiles capable of reaching London, Paris, or Berlin," Israeli military officials stated.
At the same time, it is not precisely known whether these missiles are indeed capable of reaching Diego Garcia. According to reports, the first missile was intercepted by a missile launched from an American warship. The second fell after flying about 3200 km, approximately 640 kilometers from the American-British outpost on the Chagos Islands, where about 100 British military personnel are based.
On Friday, the UK allowed the US to use British bases to strike Iranian targets that are used to target ships in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer "endangers the lives of Britons."
Danny Citrinowicz, a researcher at the Tel Aviv Institute for National Security Studies, stated that the strikes demonstrated Iran's unprecedented ballistic capabilities:
"Today it is missiles; tomorrow it could be nuclear weapons. What is truly alarming is that the Iranian leadership currently has no system of checks and balances."
One diplomat told The Times that apparently Iran's goal was not to strike Diego Garcia – rather, the missiles were launched as a warning to Britain and European allies who expressed support for US and Israeli operations to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
"Iran wants Europe to stay out of the conflict," the source said.
He added that the missile is apparently a type of weapon previously unknown in Iran's arsenal:
"If a missile is launched from northern Iran, its range could cover all of Europe."
Iran's Threats
Earlier, senior Iranian officials stated that any assistance from Ukraine to Israel, including drones, makes all Ukrainian territory a "legitimate target" for Tehran's missile strikes. In turn, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reminded that the Iranian regime has been supporting the killing of Ukrainians for years by providing Russia with drones and technology for the war against Ukraine.
Iran also reacted to Trump's ultimatum regarding the Strait of Hormuz, promising in response to the slightest strike to "plunge the entire region into darkness."
