Israeli defence officials have warned that Iran's ballistic missiles now have the range to strike London, Paris and Berlin, following an attempted attack on the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. Two missiles were fired towards the base, located on the Chagos Islands, but both failed, with one shot down by a US warship and the other malfunctioning in flight.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) described the launch as Tehran's first long-range missile strike since the start of the war, claiming the weapons could travel up to 4,000km, placing dozens of countries across Europe, Asia and Africa within range. In a statement on social media, the IDF said: 'We have been saying it: The Iranian terrorist regime poses a global threat. Now, with missiles that can reach London, Paris or Berlin.'
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned what she called 'reckless Iranian threats' after the attack. The Ministry of Defence has declined to comment on the precise timing of the launch, though it is understood to have occurred before the UK granted the US permission to use British bases for strikes on Iranian missile sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the UK was endangering British lives.
Former UK Joint Forces Command chief General Sir Richard Barrons told the BBC that Iran's missile capability had been underestimated: 'Previously we thought Iran’s missiles had a range of 2,000km and Diego [Garcia] is 3,800km from Iran.' However, Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli military intelligence officer, cast doubt on an imminent attack on Europe, suggesting the launch may have been a deterrent signal rather than a prelude to direct strikes.
The IDF chief of staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, reiterated the warning in a video, stating that the missile's range reaches the capitals of Europe, including Berlin, Paris and Rome. Meanwhile, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aerospace force claimed further missiles would be launched towards Israel overnight. US President Donald Trump responded by asserting that the US 'has blown Iran off of the map' and threatened to 'obliterate' Iran's power plants if the Strait of Hormuz remained closed.
