Iran fires ballistic missiles at US-UK Diego Garcia military base, does not hit it — report

This undated image released by US Navy shows an aerial view of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. (US Navy via AP)
This undated image released by US Navy shows an aerial view of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. (US Navy via AP)

Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia but did not hit the US-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing multiple US officials.

One of the missiles failed in flight, while a US warship fired an SM-3 interceptor at the other, although it could not be determined if the interception succeeded, the newspaper says. The Journal does not specify when the missiles were fired.

The White House and the British embassy in Washington and the UK’s Defence Ministry do not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Iran’s attempt to hit the base, around 4,000 kilometers from the country’s territory, indicates that the Islamic Republic’s missiles have a longer range than it has previously acknowledged.

Iran’s targeting of Diego Garcia, some 4,000 kilometers from Iran, indicates its missiles have a greater range than Tehran has previously acknowledged, the Journal points out. It notes that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed last month that Iran has limited the range of its missiles to 2,000 kilometers.

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