The missiles targeted the military base used by the UK and US on Diego Garcia island in the Indian Ocean, though they fell well short of reaching it. According to multiple reports, the failed projectile managed to travel about 3,000 km from its launch point, while UK Defence Secretary John Healey revealed one missile failed while the other was intercepted. Iran has previously stated it had unilaterally limited the range of its missiles to 2,000 km, but Israeli military intelligence says these two-stage missiles were self-evidently not intended to strike Israel only 1,000 km away, suggesting Europe was technically at risk.
' UK Defence Secretary John Healey stressed there is no assessment that Tehran might fire on Britain, but declined to rule out that the country has the capability to do so. The Ministry of Defence emphasised that plans and resources are in place to ensure the UK's safety in the event of any attack. Healey also declined to rule out UK aircraft taking part in strikes on Iran.
We have no assessment of Iranian plans to strike London.
This escalation follows a broader conflict triggered by a joint US-Israel attack on Iran last Saturday, after which Iran has been unleashing rocket and drone attacks across the Middle East. Healey said Iran is demonstrating a capacity to hit across the region, using tactics and technologies similar to Russia in Ukraine, with Putin's hidden hand in both conflicts. He added that he needed to reinforce defences in the Middle East because Iran hit back in an indiscriminate, widespread way.
In Cyprus, overnight on Monday, a hangar at RAF Akrotiri was hit by an Iranian-made Shahed drone, which was launched from Beirut in Lebanon, according to Cypriot officials. A drone attack occurred on RAF Akrotiri on Monday, with two more UAVs intercepted en-route to the base later that day. Two further drones detected on Monday were shot down by British warplanes, which took off from Akrotiri.
What I’m saying, and trying to reassure people, is that we’ve got no assessment that Iran has any plans to attack.
In response, the UK has initiated a significant military buildup in Cyprus. More than 400 extra air defence personnel have been sent to the UK’s bases in Cyprus, and two Wildcat helicopters armed with drone-busting missiles will arrive in Cyprus on Friday. HMS Dragon, a type 45 warship, is also being deployed as part of the build-up, but is unlikely to arrive in the Mediterranean until next week.
The warship was deployed to the Mediterranean after Monday's drone attack. However, the deployment of HMS Dragon has faced controversy due to delays and readiness issues. UK Defence Secretary John Healey said he'd had the option of deploying HMS Dragon to the Mediterranean for weeks, but Sky News revealed that HMS Dragon was not ready to depart and would not sail until next week.
But we have the resources, we have the alliance in place to be able to defend Britain, and we do that with allies, and we do that with NATO.
NATO coordination has also been affected, with Germany providing a frigate for a NATO mission next month to replace HMS Dragon, which was sent to defend Cyprus in response to the Iran crisis. Discrepancies have emerged regarding UK naval strength. UK Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK has 17 frigates and destroyers, but the Royal Navy lists 14 frigates and six destroyers on its website.
The Government has faced criticism over its failure to have enough military assets in the Middle East and the pace of its response after an Iranian-made drone hit the British base RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Diplomatically, UK Defence Secretary John Healey met with Cypriot counterpart Vasilis Palmas to discuss reinforcing air defences for shared security. On defense funding, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said the Treasury is not holding up the long-delayed defence investment plan, though the status of the plan remains unclear.
As far as Iran goes, they’re demonstrating a capacity to hit across the Middle East, we see the same tactics and technologies that we see employed by Russia in Ukraine, and this is the hidden hand of Putin in both conflicts.
Economically, a mothballed carbon dioxide plant is to be reopened with a Government grant of up to £100 million, amid fears of shortages caused by the Iran war. Regionally, influencers in Dubai warned they face prison for posting material about the conflict with Iran. Key unanswered questions persist, including how many drones or missiles Iran has launched in total during this conflict and what have been the specific targets, as well as the details of the joint US-Israel attack on Iran that reportedly triggered the rocket and drone attacks across the Middle East.
Additionally, uncertainties remain about the exact capabilities of Iran's missile systems, the effectiveness of current defense measures, and the full extent of coordination between Iran and Russia in these conflicts.
I have to make decisions based on what we’ve got.
As circumstances in any conflict change, you’ve got to be willing to adapt the action you take.
Everything that we have done is defensive, is legal and is co-ordinated with other allies.
The decision to deploy HMS Dragon was taken because the government was 'now in a position to judge better the nature of the Iranian response'.