Iran fires missiles at UK-US base in Indian Ocean’s Chagos Islands, 4,000km away

Iran launched ballistic missiles at the joint US-UK military base in Diego Garcia on Friday, showing a missile capability that goes beyond what Tehran was known to have possessed.

The base, a strategic airfield that can host B-2 stealth bombers located nearly 4,000km (2,500 miles) from Iran, suffered no damage, according to a person familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity.

The attack was the first time in the three-week-old war that Tehran was reported to have used weapons with that kind of range.

The attack came hours before UK 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 criticised the move.