Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward the joint U.S.-U.K. base at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, but did not hit the target, in an escalation that Israeli officials cast as evidence of a longer-range threat, while British officials said there was no assessment backing claims that Tehran could strike Europe.

Reuters, citing The Wall Street Journal and multiple U.S. officials, reported that one missile failed in flight and that a U.S. warship fired an SM-3 interceptor at the other, though it was unclear whether the intercept succeeded.

British officials later confirmed the attack happened before London approved expanded U.S. use of RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia for what the government described as defensive strikes against Iranian missile sites targeting shipping in the Gulf.

Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said Iran had fired two 4,000-kilometer-range missiles at Diego Garcia, and Israeli officials argued that such a range would put some European capitals within reach.

But Steve Reed, a British Cabinet minister, said Sunday that there was "no assessment to substantiate" claims that Iran was planning to strike Europe or that it had the capacity to do so.

The British government also said RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus would not be involved in its continuing agreement with Washington to use U.K. bases in "collective self-defense of the region, including for the degrading of Iranian missile capabilities."

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Parliament this past week that Britain had authorized use of RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia for defensive strikes only and "will not be drawn into a wider war."

The Diego Garcia incident has sharpened political pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer over how much support Britain should give U.S. operations.

It also underscored the base's strategic importance.

The Associated Press reported that Diego Garcia hosts about 2,500 personnel, mostly American, and has become central to U.S. operations across the Middle East, South Asia, and East Africa.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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