Iran reportedly fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean, indicating that it has missiles with longer range than earlier thought.
If confirmed, this would mark Iran’s first operational use of IRBMs and a significant attempt to target areas far beyond the Middle East and threaten US interests.
Neither of the missiles hit the base which is 4,000 kilometers away from Iranian territory, Wall Street Journal reported, citing multiple US officials. American forces have stationed bombers and other equipment at the base, which has been key for several Asia operations, including the US bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Iran has intensified its retaliatory strikes against the US-Israeli attacks, which started on February 28, this week since Israel bombed its massive South Pars offshore natural gas field. Iran retaliated to the South Pars attack by targetting world’s largest LNG plant in Qatar, compelling US President Donald Trump to dial down.
Iran warns of targeting tourist sites
The drone and missile exchange that started with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 has also kept shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and other critical goods are transported, virtually suspended.
Three weeks into an escalating war in the Middle East, Iran on Friday threatened to expand its retaliatory attacks to include recreational and tourist sites worldwide, as the US announced it was sending more warships and Marines to the region.
Iran’s top military spokesperson, Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, warned that “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide will not be safe for the country’s enemies, reported Associated Press. The threat renewed concerns that Tehran may revert to using militant attacks beyond the Middle East as a pressure tactic.
Meanwhile, Gen. Ali Mohammad Naini, a spokesperson for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, was quoted by a state-run newspaper Friday as saying Iran continues to manufacture missiles despite Israel’s claim that it destroyed Iran’s production capabilities. Iranian state television later said Naini was killed in an airstrike, in the fourth major blow to Iran’s leadership and military this week.
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