Keir Starmer Warns Irans Missiles Can Reach London

Iranian long-range missiles now have the capability of hitting London, Keir Starmer has been warned.

It comes after Tehran targeted Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands, 3,800 kilometres from Iran’s capital, with two missiles.

One was intercepted by a US warship, with the other failing in flight.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said that showed Iran is now able to target major European capitals

“We have been saying it: the Iranian terrorist regime poses a global threat,” they said. “Now, with missiles that can reach London, Paris or Berlin.”

Diego Garcia houses a joint UK-US military base, and has has been used as a launchpad for American operations in the Middle East for years.

It has a large airfield, major fuel storage facilities, radar installations and a deep-water port and is home to about 2,500 mostly American personnel.

Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the “reckless” Iranian attack, but insisted the UK was not involved in America’s “offensive” strikes on Tehran.

She said: “We want to see as swift as possible a resolution to this conflict. Our approach to this conflict has been the same throughout.

“We were not and continue not to be involved in offensive action, and we’ve taken a different view from the US and Israel on this.

“But we are supporting defensive action to support our interests. That includes recognising Iran’s escalating threats to international shipping, as well as their threats to our Gulf partners.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said it was time for Starmer to “come clean”.

She said: “Now we find out, from the media and not the prime minister, that the British base on Diego Garcia has been the target of Iranian missile attacks.

“As we saw with Peter Mandelson, Starmer’s first instinct is always to cover up the truth.

“On Wednesday he attacked me at PMQs for calling for the proper defence of our bases, now we learn that as he did so our base in the Chagos Islands was being targeted by Iran.

“The prime minister needs to immediately come clean about the details of this latest attack on British troops and explain why the public weren’t informed sooner.”