Experts say Trump was proven right about Iran’s long-range missile capability as the regime targeted a US-UK base

(SeaPRwire) –   Iran dramatically stepped up its military campaign against the United States by firing two intermediate-range ballistic missiles on Friday at Diego Garcia, a vital U.S.-U.K. military installation in the Indian Ocean.

The strike on Diego Garcia, located approximately 2,500 miles from Iranian territory, indicates that Tehran’s missile technology has surpassed previously declared boundaries.

Prior to Operation Epic Fury on February 28, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated, “We deliberately maintained our missile range under 2,000 kilometers, so we lack that capacity. We have no desire to develop it because we bear no enmity toward the American people or all Europeans.”

On Saturday, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir remarked, “Only yesterday, Iran deployed a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a 4,000-kilometer [2,500-mile] range toward an American objective on Diego Garcia island. These projectiles were not aimed at Israel. Their reach extends to European capitals—Berlin, Paris, and Rome all fall within immediate striking distance.”

IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani condemned the purported Iranian duplicity on X, writing: “Merely three days before hostilities began, the Iranian regime claimed they possessed no long-range missiles. Today, their falsehoods stand exposed yet again, with projectiles launched 4,000 kilometers from Iran. They sought to deceive their way into becoming a global terror power. We never believed them.”

Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), informed Digital: “The Trump administration’s justification for Operation Epic Fury based on Iran’s missile threat was therefore legitimate, given Tehran’s persistent refusal to discuss its missile program. This also demonstrates the peril of depending exclusively on Iranian nuclear fatwas and the supreme leader’s public statements when shaping U.S. policy. Iran remains a threat as long as it maintains technical capabilities that exceed its public declarations.”

Brodsky added, “This signals that the IRGC now controls Iran following Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death. During Khamenei’s lifetime, he restricted Iran’s missile program to a 2,000-kilometer range. In 2018, Khamenei described how he had dismissed proposals from IRGC commanders to extend the range to 5,000 kilometers.”

He went on, “Now that he has passed, the IRGC factions advocating for greater range are probably setting the agenda. The missile launch likely served as a demonstration of IRGC capabilities to menace U.S. allies outside the Middle East—Europe, for instance.”

Neither of the two Iranian long-range missiles struck the base, yet the attempted assault represented a major extension of Iran’s operational range beyond the Middle East toward a crucial U.S. strategic center. According to officials, one missile apparently malfunctioned mid-flight, while a U.S. naval vessel fired an SM-3 interceptor at the second. The success of the interception remained uncertain at the time. The isolated installation serves as an essential staging area for American bombers, nuclear submarines, and other critical military resources.

Ilan Berman, Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, D.C., told Digital: “This launch underscores the president’s assertion regarding Iran as an immediate danger. Casual observers may easily overlook it, but the growing sophistication of Iran’s multiple strategic programs has been multiplying the threat posed by the Islamic Republic far beyond the Middle East. This is precisely what ‘Epic Fury’ aims to counter. The administration’s conviction—entirely correct, in my opinion—is that such capabilities must not remain under the control of an extremist, expansionist regime.”

He added, “Notwithstanding its public rejections, evidence has long indicated that the Iranian regime has been actively extending its ballistic missile reach. The Diego Garcia strike confirms tangible advancement toward this objective, with Tehran already capable of threatening targets throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Furthermore, the regime is evidently pursuing even greater capacities—left unchecked, Iran’s ballistic missiles will achieve intercontinental range in the near future.”

Berman, author of “Iran’s Deadly Ambition: The Islamic Republic’s Quest for Global Power,” noted, “Iran’s simultaneous advancement of its space program is noteworthy. The launch vehicle designed to deploy satellites into orbit can be integrated with a medium-range missile to produce intercontinental strike potential. Prior to the conflict, we observed a distinct merging of the regime’s strategic initiatives: its ballistic missile development, space technology, and nuclear program.”

He cautioned about the grave Iranian danger to mainland Europe. “Europe faces undeniable peril, as this latest launch demonstrates. However, I wouldn’t attribute the previous failure to acknowledge this to a massive Tehran deception. Rather, it stems from deliberate obliviousness among European elites regarding the magnitude of the Iranian regime’s threat, coupled with excessive confidence in diplomatic and arms control measures to restrain it.”

On Saturday, Britain denounced the assault. “Iran’s irresponsible aggression, striking throughout the region and effectively seizing the Strait of Hormuz, endangers British interests and allies,” the U.K. Ministry of Defense declared in a statement. “Royal Air Force aircraft and other British military resources continue to protect our citizens and forces in the area.”

“The current administration has authorized the United States to utilize British installations for particular, restricted defensive missions,” the statement continued.

Digital’s Greg Norman and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.