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Iran fires missiles at Diego Garcia; war spreads to Indian Ocean
View(s):Iran launched two ballistic missiles at the joint US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia on Friday in another indication that the ongoing conflict is expanding into the Indian Ocean.
Iran’s intermediate-range ballistic missiles were fired at the Diego Garcia facility, a key airfield for Washington’s heavy bomber fleet in the Indian Ocean and located around 2,370 miles from Iran’s coast.
One of the missiles was shot down by a US warship, while the other failed in flight, according to foreign media reports.
On March 4, the first Indian Ocean engagement of the war took place when a US submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena with a torpedo south of Sri Lanka, killing more than 100 sailors. The Sri Lanka Navy rescued 32 personnel from the sinking ship, which was within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Islands, is approximately 1700 kilometres to the south of Sri Lanka and houses an airbase capable of accommodating long-range US bombers.
Defence analysts have said the Iranian attacks on the UK-US base mark one of the most significant long-distance strike attempts linked to the ongoing regional war and signal that Iran may now possess the ability to strike targets far beyond its previously declared range.
Reports from the UK said the attack on Friday came hours before British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government gave permission to the US to use British bases, including Diego Garcia, “for specific and limited defensive operations”. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has criticised the move.
Weapons with a range of almost 2,500 miles would put major European cities, including London and Paris, at risk of an attack from Iran. Still, it’s unclear whether Tehran possesses any more of the intermediate-range ballistic missiles, some media reports said.
The UK government issued a statement after the unsuccessful Iranian attack on the Diego Garcia base.
“Iran’s reckless attacks, lashing out across the region and holding hostage the Strait of Hormuz, are a threat to British interests and British allies. RAF jets and other UK military assets are continuing to defend our people and personnel in the region,” the statement said.
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