The UK Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has stated that the UK will continue to provide defensive support against 'reckless Iranian threats' after Tehran targeted the joint US-UK military base in the Chagos Islands.
According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and CNN, citing unnamed US officials, two ballistic missiles were fired at the island of Diego Garcia, but neither reached its target. The BBC understands these reports to be accurate.
The UK's position on the matter was reiterated by Cooper, who emphasized that the UK wants to see a swift end to the conflict and will not be drawn into a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Background on the Conflict
The US military has declined to comment on the incident, which is believed to have occurred before the UK agreed to let the US use British military bases to hit Iranian sites targeting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said that the UK's participation in the conflict was 'putting British lives in danger' and that Iran would 'exercise its right to self-defence'.
UK Government Response
Cooper stated that the UK recognized 'Iran's escalating threats to international shipping as well as their threats to our Gulf partners' and that supporting UK interests included taking defensive action against ballistic missile threats.
Sir Keir Starmer will hold a Cobra meeting next week to discuss plans to help mitigate the impact of the war on the cost of living, as the International Energy Agency expects the disruption to oil supply to affect wider energy markets.
International Reactions
The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency called for 'maximum military restraint' following the strikes, while President Trump's statements that the war is almost over do not match the reality on the ground.
The conflict has spread across the Middle East since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on 28 February, with more troops and warships being sent to the region and the White House seeking billions more in funding for the war.
