Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles at U.S.-UK Diego Garcia Base in Indian Ocean
Israel carries out waves of airstrikes on Iran, destroying active long-range ballistic missile launchers.
Iran, on Friday night, launched two ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, the joint U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean. Both missiles failed to hit the airbase as the U.S. warships tried to intercept them from reaching their target, about 2,360 miles from Iran.
“Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-U.K. military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean, according to multiple U.S. officials,” The Wall Street Journal reports. “One of the missiles failed in flight, and a U.S. warship fired an SM-3 interceptor at the other, according to two of the people. It couldn’t be determined if an interception was made, according to one of the officials.”
The Iranian regime admitted firing ballistic missiles towards the base. “Iran fired two ballistic missiles at the U.S.-U.K. military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean,” Reuters wrote, quoting Iranian regime media.
⚠️The Iranian regime just fired a long-range ballistic missile at Diego Garcia, and here’s why that matters.
It means Iran’s missile industry was far more developed than widely believed. @CSIS put Iran’s maximum range at 2,000km. @Israel_Alma_org said 3,000km.
But this was… pic.twitter.com/SGvVwUTefo
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) March 21, 2026
The London-based Telegraph reported Saturday morning:
Iran fired two ballistic missiles at Britain’s Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands, US officials have said.
Neither of the two missiles hit their targets, with one believed to have been intercepted by a US warship and the other having failed in flight on Friday morning.
The attempted attack on the joint UK-US base was the first time Tehran used intermediate-range ballistic missiles, which fly farther. It marks a significant escalation of the conflict.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, threatened Britain on Friday. He warned that Sir Keir Starmer was “putting British lives at risk” by allowing the US to use UK bases.
At the time, it was not public knowledge that Tehran had fired at Diego Garcia, which is 2,500 miles from Iran.
Downing Street confirmed last night it has allowed the US to carry out missions from British bases to degrade Iran’s capability to close the Strait of Hormuz.
Diego Garcia and the Chagos Islands are part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The archipelago is at the centre of a row between the Government and Donald Trump, who has criticised Sir Keir’s attempts to give away the islands to Mauritius, which is seeking deeper ties with Iran.
🚨 WATCH: Donald Trump repeats that the UK should "keep" Diego Garcia
"When they were originally going to do it, they were talking about some concept of ownership. But now they're looking at doing a lease and selling it and I'm against that… do they need money?" pic.twitter.com/0O648AdUsu
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) January 20, 2026
The Iranian missile attacks coincide with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s belated decision to allow the U.S. to use the airbase as part of the operation Epic Fury against Iran. “Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Islands, is… home to an airbase capable of accommodating long-range US bombers,” The Guardian (UK) noted.
“The UK has agreed to allow the US to use British bases to launch strikes on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz,” the BBC reported late Friday. At the beginning of the operation, Prime Minister Starmer declared that Britain would not “get involved in the offensive strikes of the US and Israel.”
President Donald Trump is "not happy with the UK either." He criticises Keir Starmer for not allowing his air force to use Diego Garcia.
"This is not Winston Churchill that we are dealing with."
Scathing criticism. pic.twitter.com/eNpa2tDCQe
— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) March 3, 2026
President Donald Trump slammed Starmer, saying he “should have acted a lot faster” in allowing the U.S. military to use the strategic airbase.
This is not the first U-turn Starmer has performed on the issue of Diego Garcia. Trump criticised London for its decision to hand over the islands to neighbouring Mauritius, a China-friendly island nation. In February, the U.S. president cautioned that “Starmer should not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia.” If that were to happen, “it will be a blight on our great ally.” Weeks later, Starmer ‘paused‘ the process of handing over the islands.
People owe Trump and Ratcliffe apologies.
Basically Iran had missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to every major European city.
Influencers may have been willing to role that dice but Trump wasn’t. https://t.co/den2ecW8Fa pic.twitter.com/wLtMEmh2Md
— The Reckoning 💥 (@sethjlevy) March 21, 2026
Israel carries out waves of airstrikes on Iran, destroying active long-range ballistic missile launchers
The attack on the allied base comes as the Israel Defense Force (IDF) is engaged in dismantling Iran’s ability to carry out such long-range strikes.
The Israeli Air Force is launching waves of strikes on Iranian military and terrorist targets. “The IDF continues to deepen its strikes on the systems and capabilities of the Iranian terror regime,” the Israeli military announced Friday evening.
“In the waves of strikes in Tehran, the IDF struck several factories and sites used by the Iranian regime to produce weapons intended to harm the State of Israel and other countries. In addition, sites where components for long-range ballistic missiles, posing a direct threat to the State of Israel, were struck,” the IDF disclosed.
“In the additional wave of strikes, east of Tehran, sites where long-range ballistic missile launchers were stored were struck, while operatives from the ballistic missile array were operating inside,” the statement added.
While Israel and the U.S. target Iran’s terrorist leadership and its military infrastructure, the regime continues to fire missiles at Israeli towns and cities, including those containing cluster munitions.
Report: Israel, U.S. hit Iran’s nuclear enrichment Natanz facility
The U.S. and Israel carried out a strike on a key nuclear enrichment facility in central Iran, regime media claims. Frances Le Monde quoted Iranian authorities, who said ‘no leakage of radioactive materials reported’ in the area.
The Times of Israel reported:
The US and Israel launched an attack on the Natanz uranium-enrichment facility this morning, Iran’s Tasnim news agency says.
No radioactive leaks have occurred, and residents near the site are not at risk, Tasnim adds.
The Natanz facility was one of the main targets in the previous 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June, which the US eventually joined, and has also been targeted during the ongoing fighting.
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Comments
I find it interesting the difference of opinion vis-a-vis Iran between people old enough to have lived through the revolution and hostage crisis and much younger people that were never taught about it, let alone experienced it.
My loathing of islam comes from watching it in practice. It is evil. It is utter savagery. It is the belief system of subhuman scum.
To me, the rubble cannot be made fine enough to destroy the totalitarian mullahs, and I think that the majority of Iranians would agree with me.
But the left cannot help themselves. They loathed Trump before he tore down their shibboleths, put the lie to their entire worldview. The left would rather side with those who perpetrated the October 7th massacre than to ever admit that what Trump is doing is a gift to mankind.
There isn’t a doubt in my mind that the very minute that the mullahs had a functioning nuclear weapon they would fire it at Tel Aviv, even if it meant that 1,000 nuclear missiles would be fired in response and their entire world turned to glass.
Well done! Turning Iran’s world into “glass” might be the only solution if this drags on much longer.
The left would rather side with those who perpetrated the October 7th massacre than to ever admit that what Trump is doing is a gift to mankind.
This is the real benefit of TDS: he has exposed the evil and rot inherent in the Progressive worldview and among those who try to run things. Just by insisting on not going along with all of the grand schemes of the elite he has laid it bare for the world to see – if it has eyes.
For a number of years I lived and taught in Tanzania (my beautiful wife was born there), which has a sizable Muslim population. In places where Muslims are in the minority they are well-behaved and law-abiding. In places where they have both numbers and power they are demons.
Tanzania has a Muslim woman as President, who is a figurehead. Real power is exercised by her son, who was behind the wave of mass arrests and killings after she became president. During the campaign her Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Revolutionary Party) had one major opposition candidate taken off the ballot and another arrested (sound familiar?).
To fear Muslims taking power is normal and correct.
Based on the graphic accompanying the first tweet, I’d say the reason 1/2 of their missile attack failed* is because they did some tweaking to their top-range missiles to get the range they needed. This should not be disregarded, as it means they still have some smart people working on this stuff. They are still dug in, and some portion of military control remains.
Also, I think this speaks to our need to take over Diego Garcia and have it as a protectorate. Then lease some of the space to Brits (or any other ally) who happens to need a spot in the Indian Ocean. Heck, maybe even expand the island. (It could be YUGE! The best, most glorious island in the Indian Ocean! 😉 )
(* And why the other 1/2 was intercepted. Slow missiles and wobbly missiles are much easier to track and hit with an interceptor.)
The Brits – at this point – are an ally? Who knew!
Most of the Brits were rooting for the missiles to hit. Britain is gone. Should consider offering sanctuary to tory party Brits. : Labor party Brits need not apply.
With this new information, can we now ignore the idiot Joe Kent forever?
We can ignore him even without it. He’s just his Blumenthal associated wife’s puppet at this point.
The fact that the Iranian missiles were either shot down or fell into the ocean themselves means the US is losing and should begin negotiations to surrender ASAP.
– The American media
Rather, 2 missiles launched in a tactically and strategically stupid action is strong evidence that these incompetent terrorist clowns are on their last legs.
It looks as if Trump is about to declare victory and pull out. The polls are dropping and midterms are approaching, gas prices are rising. If we’ve won, how can Iran keep launching missiles and drones? I’m old and know we are making a mistake to leave but younger people don’t know the past and are going to repeat mistakes we made before. Of course, war is horrible but what is amazing is that the countries that depend on Iran’s oil can’t see the future leverage they will have in the future over Europe. They can shut down the Strait anytime they want for any reason. We need to finish the job now but politics says no.
We haven’t finished the job since WW2. Grenada and Panama don’t count. Why? The news media. If we had this traitorous media during WW2 you’d be speaking German and I’d never have been born.
Don’t get too deep into the media malaise. Polls aren’t where they claim about people “leaving MAGA.”
Starmer’s lucky he was giving away Diego Garcia and not selling it, because its property value just tanked.
Ballistic missiles, nuclear weapons, drones, submarines (now really submerged)… WHY? Oh… that’s right… a counterweight to the evil Zionists per Obama and company. As Dems pursue a one-party state in the USA, their hopes ride with Iran…
Gosh the Iranian regime was,.gasp, lying about their ballistic missile capability. Pushing a missile 4,000 kilometers is way more impressive than 2,000 kilometers. Maybe the ordinary folks in Europe will wake up to effectively demand changes in policy from their governments. Or not. If not too bad. We can close the Straits of Hormuz as well. With Qatar LNG exports expected to be vastly reduced due to Iranian strikes for an extended period (five years is the outer band) Europe is gonna have some issues getting LNG since they decided Russian energy was ‘bad’. Be a shame if some Nation used an extended shortage to bring them to heel.
“Reuters wrote, quoting Iranian regime media”
Trash company. Fake news. Trash regime. Perfect alliance.