Iran fired ballistic missiles at the Diego Garcia joint U.K.-U.S. military base in the Indian Ocean, 4,000 kilometers away. Iran has long self-limited the range of its ballistic missiles to 2,000 kilometers, prompting speculation that it may have exceeded that cap.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing U.S. officials, that on the morning of the 20th (local time), Iran fired two ballistic missiles at the base but did not hit the target.
According to officials, one missile failed in flight and the other was believed to have been intercepted by the air defense of a U.S. warship, the outlet reported.
Located on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, the base is a strategic hub capable of operating B-2 stealth bombers.
The U.K. daily the Telegraph said this is the first time a medium-range ballistic missile with a range of 4,000 kilometers has been confirmed to have been launched from Iran. It added that it was presumed to be a 20-ton-class Khorramshahr-4 rocket capable of carrying up to 80 cluster munitions.
Iran's Mehr News Agency also said on the 21st that the Iranian military fired two ballistic missiles at the Diego Garcia base, calling it "an important step that testifies that the range of Iranian missiles is beyond what the enemy previously imagined."
Bloomberg said a 4,000-kilometer-range missile would mean major Western European cities such as London in the U.K. and Paris in France could fall within Iran's strike radius. It added, however, that it is unclear whether Iran possesses additional missiles of this medium range.
William Alberque, a senior fellow at the Pacific Forum think tank, told Bloomberg that "no one imagined" Iran possessed missiles with that range, adding, "They may have used an upgraded missile, perhaps a prototype."