Iran not believed to have capability or intent to bomb Britain, says UK minister | US-Israel war on Iran
Iran is not believed to have the capability or intention to hit Britain with its missiles, a cabinet minister has said, after Tehran targeted two missiles at the UK-US air base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
According to reports, one of the missiles failed to reach the island and the other was shot down by a US warship. This was Iran’s longest-range attack since it was attacked by the US and Israel.
Asked about Israeli warnings that the UK and other parts of Europe could be targeted by Iranian missiles, communities secretary Steve Reed told BBC One’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday: “There is no specific assessment that the Iranians are targeting the UK or Europe.” [that they] “They could have done it even if they wanted to.”
Regarding why Israel made such a warning, he said, “You need to talk to the Israelis.” Reed added: “Whatever people say, the UK will not be dragged into this war, but we will take appropriate collective defense actions to keep our citizens and our interests safe.
“I am not aware of any assessment that they are even trying to target Europe, let alone that they could do so if they tried. But even if they did, we have the military power to defend this country.”
Asked about the attack on Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Islands archipelago 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from Iran, Reed said one missile was intercepted while the other “fell short” and declined to say how close it came to the base.
Keir Starmer’s government rejected US requests to use UK air bases for a first strike on Iran at the end of February; This was partly because ministers were warned that this was likely to violate international law.
But it has since allowed British bases to be used in attacks on Iranian sites targeting British allies and interests in the Gulf states. On Saturday, that scope was expanded to allow attacks on missile launchers targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Reed said Britain was seeking to de-escalate tensions and would not be drawn further into the conflict. “If you take the decision, as any British government should do, that we will defend the British people and British assets in the region, and the Iranians start targeting different assets, then of course we have to respond to that and defend them as well. That doesn’t take away one bit of our interest and our focus on de-escalation,” he told Sky News.
Reed refused to comment on Donald Trump’s threat that Tehran had 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ships or face the destruction of Iran’s energy infrastructure.
Reed told Sky: “The US president is perfectly capable of speaking for himself and defending what he says. And our position in the UK is absolutely clear. We will not be dragged into this war.”
On Trump’s comments, he added: “You should ask President Trump about the things President Trump is talking about doing.”
