Share Source: Defense Express
Following two launches of Iranian ballistic missiles targeting the US and UK naval base “Diego Garcia” in the Indian Ocean, it became evident that Iran has developed intermediate-range ballistic missiles and has ventured to use them for the first time. This range poses a threat to almost all European countries.
Key Takeaways:
- Iranian ballistic missiles threaten nearly all European nations due to their strike range.
- Iran attempted a strike beyond the Middle East, but the attack was unsuccessful, creating an ambiguous threat on the international stage.
Iranian Ballistic Missiles Threaten Nearly All European Countries
Neither of the two Iranian missiles hit their target. One failed to reach due to a malfunction. An American warship fired an SM-3 interceptor missile at the second. Although a successful interception was not explicitly reported.
Analysts noted that this was Iran’s first attempt to strike a target outside the Middle East.
However, as the attack failed, it is too early to speak of a significant threat from Iran to strike at such distances. The shortest distance the missile had to travel from Iran to the “Diego Garcia” airbase is approximately 4,000 km.
If Iran can now strike with ballistic missiles at a distance of at least 4,000 km, then the only country in Europe it cannot reach would be Portugal. Most of Great Britain, Spain, and a small part of France would also remain “safe.”
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Iran has already threatened Europe with retaliatory strikes if it assists the US and Israel in their operation to destroy Iran’s military capabilities.
Intermediate-range ballistic missiles are positioned between medium-range ballistic missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Typically, they have a strike range of 3,000 to 5,500 km.
An attempt was made to hit the “Diego Garcia” airbase with a Khorramshahr-4 ballistic missile.
This is described by analysts as a kind of “Oreshnik on minimal settings,” possessing a warhead with 20 submunitions that disperse within an 8 km radius.
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