Housing secretary Steve Reed has insisted the United Kingdom is safe from Iranian missile threats, dismissing Israeli warnings that Tehran possesses long-range ballistic missiles capable of reaching London. Speaking on Sky News, Reed stated that the UK has defensive systems in place to keep the country secure, and he refused to confirm how close Iranian missiles came to the UK-US Diego Garcia military base in the Chagos Islands.
Reed told Times Radio that there is no assessment indicating Iran would target Europe or could do so if it wanted. His comments came after Israel warned on Saturday that Iranian missiles threaten European cities including London, Paris and Berlin, following Iran's unsuccessful launch of two ballistic missiles towards Diego Garcia, which is thousands of miles from Iran.
Former Foreign Office permanent secretary Lord McDonald accused Israel of exaggerating the threat to build support for its war on Iran, noting that there is no evidence of such missile capability apart from Israeli sources. He conceded that the UK could be vulnerable to such a strike due to the lack of a comprehensive missile defence system.
Former foreign secretary James Cleverly also urged caution, saying it is not useful to start setting hares running about Iran's capabilities, and highlighted the Iranian regime's skill in disinformation. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on the warning, stating Iran now has the capacity to reach deep into Europe.
Tensions in the region escalated further after US President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, threatening to obliterate Iran's power plants. Iran retaliated by vowing to target energy infrastructure across the Middle East and shut the strait if the US follows through. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke with Trump on Sunday, agreeing on the need to reopen the strait for global energy market stability, and will chair an emergency Cobra meeting on Monday to address domestic energy price concerns.
