A UK cabinet minister has disputed Israel's claim that Iran has long-range missiles capable of reaching London. Housing Secretary Steve Reed told the BBC that there is "no assessment to substantiate" this claim.
Reed's statement comes after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Tehran had weapons that could reach up to 4,000km (2,485 miles). The IDF made this claim after Iran targeted the joint US-UK military base on the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean.
According to Reed, Iran fired two ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, one of which failed and fell short, while the other was intercepted. The intercepted missile disappeared after a US destroyer fired missiles at it.
Police and Military Response
The UK government has allowed British airbases to be used for strikes on sites targeting UK interests and allies in the region. British forces operating in the Middle East have also shot down multiple Iranian drones since the start of the conflict.
The Ministry of Defence said a ground-based unit operating in a "high threat area" had downed a drone overnight. The government has also expanded targets to include Iranian sites being used to threaten vessels travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.
Official Statements
US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran had developed missiles that could "threaten Europe" and was working towards building missiles capable of striking the US. Iranian Foreign Minister said earlier this month that his country had deliberately capped its missiles' range at 2,000km.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that Iran had the "capacity to reach deep into Europe". Dr Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said that while it was "probably accurate" that Iran had missiles capable of reaching the UK, it was "not the most pressing threat".
Investigation and Analysis
Sir Richard Shirreff, a retired British Army general and former Nato commander, said Israel's claims about Iranian capabilities should be taken "seriously, but as seriously as the potential for Russian missiles to come this way as well".
The UK government has rejected calls for a parliamentary vote on allowing the US to use British bases for strikes, arguing that there is "no precedent for a vote in Parliament for defending British people who are under attack".
