Israel has warned that the Islamist Iranian regime has demonstrated the capability of using missiles to strike Berlin, London, and Paris and therefore European powers cannot afford to sit on the sidelines of the conflict.
On Friday, Iran attempted a ballistic strike on the British Overseas Territory of the Chagos Islands, likely targeting the UK-U.S. military base on the island of Diego Garcia. The strikes were unsuccessful: one missile reportedly suffered a technical error, and the other was reportedly shot down.
However, despite the apparent failures, the attempted strike may have achieved something more significant than a strike on Diego Garcia, namely a demonstration that Tehran possesses missiles capable of strikes far beyond what had previously been demonstrated.
While Iranian missiles have previously been capped at around 1,240 miles (2,000 kilometres), the Chagos Islands are approximately 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometres) from Iran.
Although the strikes were not successful, and it is unclear exactly how far they made it before being shot down and failing, the potential for Iranian missiles to travel such a length has raised alarm bells in regions once believed to have been out of the strike zone for the mullahs.
Commenting on the development, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Saturday evening: “During Operation Rising Lion in June 2025, the IDF revealed that the Iranian regime has intentions to develop missiles with a range of 4,000 km, which pose a danger to dozens of countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. The Iranian regime denied this.
“We have been saying it: The Iranian terrorist regime poses a global threat. Now, with missiles that can reach London, Paris or Berlin.
“The Iranian terror regime has carried out attacks against 12 countries in the region and is developing a capability that poses a much broader threat.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran’s newly demonstrated missile range means that European powers no longer have the luxury of staying outside of the conflict.
“They fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Diego Garcia… They now have the capacity to reach deep into Europe,” Netanyahu said, according to the Times of Israel.
“They are putting everyone in their sights. And [they’re] stopping a maritime international route, energy route, and trying to blackmail the entire world,” he continued. “It’s time to see the leaders of the rest of the countries join up.”
The British Ministry of Defence condemned the “reckless attacks” by Iran, and said that the “lashing out across the region and holding hostage the Strait of Hormuz” is a threat to British interests and British allies.
However, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper appeared to suggest on Saturday that London’s position has not changed to the conflict, and will only perform defensive actions against attacks from Tehran.
“We will not be drawn into a wider conflict. 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,” Cooper said per The Times.
“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.”
Britain’s position, including the refusal to use Diego Garcia to launch offensive strikes on Iran, has come under heavy criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has cast the country as America’s “once great ally” and derided Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for not being up to par with wartime leaders like Sir Winston Churchill.
