Source: Fortune.com
Summary
Iran launched missiles at Diego Garcia, a strategic U.K.-U.S. military base in the Indian Ocean. Britain condemned the attack as “reckless” and said it was unsuccessful. The base, home to 2,500 mostly American personnel, has supported U.S. military operations in the Middle East, South Asia, and East Africa. The U.K. initially refused to let the base be used for U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, but later reversed its decision. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized the U.K. for allowing its bases to be used for “aggression” against Iran.
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The strategy enters a familiar phase.
The U.S. has described Diego Garcia as “an all but indispensable platform” for security operations. The base has been used for clandestine rendition flights of terror suspects and has supported U.S. military operations from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. Iran’s missile attack on the base may have involved improvised use of its Simorgh space launch rocket. The U.K. has been criticized for its control of the Chagos Archipelago and the forced displacement of the local population. The U.S. administration initially welcomed a deal to hand over sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, but President Donald Trump later called it “an act of GREAT STUPIDITY.”
The numbers tell one story: 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from Iran, Diego Garcia is well outside the range of Iran’s ballistic missiles, but the U.S. has alleged that Iran’s space program could allow it to build intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Author: Evan Null
