Iran launches missiles in 'failed bid' to hit Diego Garcia in India’s backyard, Indian Ocean base key to US power projection

NEW DELHI: The cross-firing of missiles in the Gulf region between Iran and Israel-US reached India’s backyard when two ballistic missiles were launched by Tehran towards Diego Garcia, a strategically important joint US-UK base, in the Indian Ocean.The Iranian missiles, aimed at the military facility roughly 4,000 km away, however, did not hit the base: one reportedly failed mid-flight while the other was engaged by a US naval interceptor, though it remains unclear whether it was successfully destroyed, said foreign agencies quoting UK officials. The Pentagon declined to comment.The missile attack has drawn global attention due to the strategic importance of the military base in the Indian Ocean and what the attack suggests about Tehran’s missile capabilities.

Defence experts say Iran may have tested a system closer to an Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile, trying to strike farther into the Indian Ocean. The attack will also help Tehran gain leverage by keeping its enemies unsure of its actual strike capability.

Iran’s state-affiliated Mehr news agency described the strike as a “significant step” that “shows that the range of Iran’s missiles is beyond what the enemy previously imagined”.

Diego Garcia is a crucial joint US-UK military base in the central Indian Ocean, serving as a primary hub for projecting power across West Asia, South Asia and the Indo-Pacific. It is about 3,000 km from Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea and Malacca Strait near the South China Sea. Because of its strategic position, the base is also central to monitoring activity by US’ rivals like China.The failed missile attack on Diego Garcia has come in the midst of the UK allowing the US to use its military bases to attack Iran.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told his UK counterpart, British home secretary Yvette Cooper, on a phone call last Thursday that any American use of British bases would be considered “participation in aggression”, according to Tehran's foreign ministry. The UK govt, however, pushed back, with Cooper warning Araghchi “against targeting UK bases, territory or interests directly”, according to the UK foreign office.The island hosts an extensive airfield with runways long enough to accommodate large military aircraft like B-52 bombers, KC-135 tankers, reconnaissance aircraft and transport planes. It also has major fuel storage facilities, radar installations and control towers that can support regional military operations. Diego Garcia was a critical, high-volume launchpad for US air operations in the 1991 Gulf War and 2003 Iraq War.

The base also hosts a deep-water port that can dock, resupply and provide maintenance to large naval vessels, including aircraft carriers, destroyers and submarines.As Diego Garcia’s strategic location allows for rapid air and naval deployment and ensures the safeguarding of key global trade routes, the base helps the US military project power across the ocean, deter adversaries and reassure allies.