Iran missiles targeting joint UK-US military base fell short, intercepted: Minister
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The British government on March 20 said it would allow Washington to use its bases in Fairford in south-west England and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – British Minister Steve Reed on March 22 said one missile launched by Iran targeting a joint UK-US military base in the Indian Ocean “fell short” while another missile was “intercepted”.
“Our assessment is that the Iranians certainly targeted Diego Garcia”, a military base some 4,000km away from Iran, Mr Reed told the BBC.
“As we understand it, one missile fell short, failed, the other was intercepted and prevented,” said the housing minister, who was representing the government on the March 22 morning shows.
“But I don’t think it’s a surprise this has happened, Iran has been recklessly firing missiles around the region,” he added.
Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Islands archipelago, is one of two bases which Britain has allowed the US to use for what the British government insists are “defensive operations” in its war against Iran.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on March 20 that Iran had aimed two ballistic missiles at the base, which is a key hub for Washington’s Asia operations, including the US bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.
While neither hit their target, the launch suggests that Tehran has missiles with longer ranges than previously thought.
American forces have stationed bombers and other equipment at Diego Garcia.
On March 20, the British government said it would allow Washington to use its bases in Diego Garcia and Fairford in south-west England to target Iranian “missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz”.
A British official source confirmed that Iran’s “unsuccessful targeting of Diego Garcia” took place before the announcement on March 20.
Mr Reed insisted that the “UK will not be dragged into this conflict”, adding that there was “no specific assessment that the Iranians are targeting the UK or even could, if they wanted to”.
He also highlighted the contrasting positions taken by Britain and the US on the war, with British leader Keir Starmer attracting US President Donald Trump’s ire in recent weeks.
“It is not the first time in history that the United Kingdom and a British prime minister has taken a different view from the US president. It happened in Vietnam,” said Mr Reed. AFP
