WASHINGTON, United States (AFP): Iran has fired two ballistic missiles toward the joint US-UK military base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday (March 20), citing US officials.
Neither missile hit the target, which is around 4,000km from Iranian territory, but the launch suggests that Tehran has missiles with longer ranges than previously thought, the report said.
The Pentagon declined to comment.
One of the missiles failed in flight and the other was targeted by an interceptor fired from a US warship, though it was not clear if the missile was hit, WSJ reported.
Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands is one of two bases Britain is allowing the United States to use for "defensive" operations in Iran.
American forces have stationed bombers and other equipment at the base, a key hub for Asia operations, including the US bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Britain has agreed to hand back the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after holding it since the 1960s, and maintains a lease for the base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands.
US President Donald Trump has slammed the decision. – AFP
