Housing Secretary Steve Reed has dismissed warnings from Israel about Iran's missile capabilities, stating that the UK is safe and its military is 'perfectly capable' of defending the country. Speaking on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, Mr Reed said there is no specific assessment that Iran is targeting the UK or could do so if it wanted to.
His comments come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Iran now has the capacity to reach 'deep into Europe', and the Israeli Defence Forces warned that Tehran's long-range missiles could reach cities such as London, Paris or Berlin. However, Mr Reed argued that the interception of two Iranian missiles fired at the joint US-UK base Diego Garcia demonstrated the effectiveness of regional defences.
The housing secretary refused to disclose how close the missiles came to the base, which is located about 2,360 miles from Iran. One missile was shot down by a US warship, while the other failed in flight, according to reports. Mr Reed stressed that the UK will not be drawn into a wider conflict.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke with US President Donald Trump on Sunday about the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The 20-minute call was described as constructive. President Trump had earlier issued a 48-hour deadline for Iran to open the strait, threatening to 'obliterate' Iran's power plants if it fails to comply.
