Mapped: What countries Iranian missiles could hit after warning they pose ‘global threat’

Israel has warned that Iran is developing long-range missiles that can reach major European cities, after the UK-US base in Diego Garcia was targeted.

Iran targeted a military base in the Chagos Islands on Friday before the UK government gave the US permission to strike missile sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz, although it was unclear exactly when the two medium-range ballistic missiles were fired.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Tehran had launched a long-range missile for the first time since the start of the war, showing it could now reach cities such as London, Paris or Berlin.

“We say this: The Iranian terrorist regime poses a global threat,” the IDF said in its statement.

The Israeli military claimed that the missiles could reach a distance of approximately 2,400 miles (4,000 km) and pose a danger to dozens of countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.

With Iran “recklessly” attacking other countries in the Middle East, concerns are growing that the UK could become a legitimate target as the war shows no signs of abating.

How far can Iran’s missiles go?

Iran’s military capabilities are not fully known following the 12-day war last June in which Israel and the United States targeted missile bases and launchers.

Analysts previously thought Iran’s longest-range weapon was the Khorramshahr 4 missile, which has the potential to hit targets 1,200 to 3,900 miles away.

Given the success of launching ballistic missiles against the Chagos Islands, it is feared that Iran is more capable than assumed.

Sky News military analyst Sean Bell said: “Suddenly the UK is not too far away either, which is of huge importance. At least Diego Garcia is well protected, London is not. The UK does not have an effective ballistic missile defense system and so this is a very worrying development for the UK.”

Danny Citrinowicz, a researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and a former Iran expert with Israel’s military and intelligence services, said it remains unclear how much missile capability Iran has rebuilt.

“You can see through satellite imagery, attempts to restart manufacturing,” he said, adding that government leaks in Israeli media suggest that Israel assumes Iran still retains a substantial number of short-range ballistic missiles.

What did England say?

Housing Secretary Steve Reed insisted Britain was safe despite warnings that Iran was developing long-range missiles capable of reaching major European cities.

He told Sky News: Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips program: “We have systems and defenses to keep the UK safe and that will continue to happen, but the prime minister has been very clear about this war.

“We have not joined the war, we will not be dragged into it, but we will take the necessary defensive actions to protect British interests, the British people or our allies in the region.

Mr. Reed said the fact that one of the missiles fired at Diego Garcia was destroyed while the other failed showed that “our defense capabilities were correct.”

What did the experts say?

Before the weekend, when the news of the attempted attack on Diego Garcia emerged, experts had stated that it was unlikely that Iran would attack the UK and that Iran’s offensive capabilities had not been assessed long-term enough.

But on Saturday, Gen. Sir Richard Barrons, the former head of the United Kingdom’s Joint Forces Command, warned that Iran could strike targets much further away than the international community thinks.

He told the BBC Today program: “We previously thought that Iran’s missiles had a range of 2,000 km, and Diego [Garcia] 3,800 km (2,360 miles) from Iran.”

Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli military intelligence officer who now works at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies. said Times The missiles fired at Diego Garcia may have been a warning to Britain, but they cast doubt on whether Tehran would target Europe.

He said: “They don’t think they’re going to attack London or Paris tomorrow, but I think it’s another element of deterrence for them.”