Defence Secretary John Healey has declined to rule out that Iran possesses the capability to strike the UK, though he stated that military chiefs do not believe Tehran has any plans to do so. His comments come after Iran targeted the Diego Garcia military base, used by the UK and US, with missiles that fell short.
In a Sky News interview, Healey repeatedly avoided confirming whether Iran could reach London, saying: “We have no assessment of Iranian plans to strike London.” He added: “We have the resources, we have the alliance in place, to be able to defend Britain, and we do that with allies, and we do that with Nato.” He noted Iran's demonstrated capacity to hit across the Middle East and drew parallels with Russian tactics in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump criticised NATO allies, describing the UK's aircraft carriers as “toys” compared to US vessels. He accused allies of doing “absolutely nothing” to help in the Middle East conflict, referencing a delayed offer of UK carrier support after the war.
Healey also addressed defence spending, denying that the Treasury is delaying a long-awaited investment plan. He defended borrowing a German frigate for a NATO mission, calling it a sign of alliance strength, but admitted dissatisfaction with the state of British warships due to lengthy construction times.
Separately, the government has granted up to £100 million to reopen a mothballed CO2 plant in Teesside, amid fears of shortages caused by the Iran conflict. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to urge Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz at a G7 meeting and announce additional humanitarian aid for Lebanon.
