The images that worry Europe: “Are a threat”

Emil Forsberg

Updated 17.23 | Published 16.52

The attack on the island base Diego Garcia shows that Iran's missiles reach further than previously thought.

Something that worries Europe.

– We are investigating it, says NATO chief Mark Rutte.

On Friday,  Iran fired two medium-range ballistic missiles at the island of Diego Garcia, which is located in the Indian Ocean.

It is under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom and has a joint British-American military base with a runway long enough for the United States' heaviest bomber.

None of the missiles hit. But the surprise was great that they reached that far.

170 miles further

The Diego Garcia base is about 370 miles from Iran and Iran has previously claimed that the limit for their missiles is 200 miles.

Tom Karako, who heads the missile defense project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told NBC that Iran “has not shown all its cards.”

The attack also shows that Iran’s reach is not limited to countries in the Middle East, but can reach major European cities, the Israeli army said.

“We cannot confirm it now, but we are investigating whether it is true,” NATO chief Mark Rutte told CBS.

If that is the case, it is proof that the attacks on Iran are necessary, according to Rutte.

“We have seen with North Korea that if you negotiate too long you can miss the opportunity to reach an agreement. If Iran has nuclear weapons, it becomes an existential threat and what President Trump is doing is crucial to making our world a little better.”

           

           Photo: Carl Court / AP 

The attack came shortly after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the United States would be given access to bases in the Middle East.

“Iran’s reckless attacks, flaring up across the region and holding the Strait of Hormuz hostage are a threat to British interests and British allies,” a spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

 

The IDF has released a picture of X that allegedly shows the range of how far Iran can reach with its missiles. However, it has misspelled the names of Sweden and Finland. Photo: IDF

“Was a big step”

Security policy expert Jan Hallenberg at the Institute for International Affairs says that it is a clear signal to the countries that support Iran.

– There are American bases in Romania and Bulgaria where they reload their planes and have their tanker planes, but I wouldn't think they would strike there. However, they are striking back now that the British have opened up their bases to be used in combat against Iran.

– But I think it would be a big step for them to strike against Europe.

           

           Jan Hallenberg, expert at the Swedish Institute for Foreign Policy. Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

How much Iran has left to strike back with is hard to say, says Hallenberg.

– I would think that there are hundreds if not thousands of different drones and other types of missiles left in their arsenal. It's not like the US and Israel have eradicated them all. Far from it.

           

           Photo: Mahdi Vaziri / AP