Iran fires two missiles at Diego Garcia; one intercepted
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Iran launched two ballistic missiles targeting the UK-US military base at Diego Garcia, roughly 4,000km away in the Indian Ocean, UK minister Steve Reed told the BBC on Sunday (Mar 22).
- Steve Reed said one missile "fell short" and failed while the other was "intercepted and prevented" from hitting the base, the first known direct Iranian attempt on the Indian Ocean facility.
- The Wall Street Journal first reported the launch on Friday; a UK official source confirmed the "unsuccessful targeting" occurred before the UK government announced it would allow US use of Diego Garcia and Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Islands archipelago, hosts US bombers and equipment and serves as a key hub for Washington's Asia operations, including the US bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- Reed insisted the "UK will not be dragged into this conflict" and said there is "no specific assessment that the Iranians are targeting the UK," while drawing a Vietnam-era parallel between PM Keir Starmer's stance and past UK-US policy splits.
- The launch suggests Tehran has missiles with longer ranges than previously thought, per the report, raising the strategic stakes for US force posture across the Indian Ocean.
Why it matters: Iran's first known attempt to strike Diego Garcia — 4,000km from its territory — shows Tehran can credibly threaten a hub central to US power projection in Asia. The UK approved US use of its bases to strike Iran just after Iran tried to hit one of them, while publicly insisting it won't be dragged in.
Ask SkimNews
