Trump proven right on Iran's long-range missile capability as regime targets US-UK base, experts say

The Islamic Republic of Iran importantly escalated its warfare effort against nan U.S. pinch its motorboat of 2 intermediate-range ballistic missiles connected Friday toward Diego Garcia, a cardinal U.S.-U.K. subject guidelines successful nan Indian Ocean.

The targeting of Diego Garcia, astir 2,500 miles from Iran, intends Tehran’s rocket capabilities look to person exceeded antecedently acknowledged limits.

In nan play starring up to Operation Epic Fury connected Feb. 28, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed that "We intentionally kept nan scope of our missiles beneath 2,000 km truthful we don’t person that capability. And we don’t want to do that because we do not person hostility against nan United States group and each Europeans."

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Map from nan Foundation for Defense of Democracies showing Iran's rocket ranges. (The Foundation for Defense of Democracies)

On Saturday, Israel Defense Forces IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said "Just yesterday, Iran launched a two-stage intercontinental ballistic rocket pinch a scope of 4,000 kilometers [2,500 miles] toward an American target connected nan land of Diego Garcia. These missiles were not intended to deed Israel. Their scope reaches nan capitals of Europe — Berlin, Paris and Rome are each wrong nonstop threat range."

IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani blasted nan alleged Iranian deception connected X: "Just 3 days earlier nan war, nan Iranian authorities said they don’t get long-range missiles. Today, their lies were exposed erstwhile again, erstwhile missiles were fired 4000km distant from Iran. They hoped to dishonesty their measurement into becoming a unit that tin terrorize nan world. We didn’t bargain it."

Jason Brodsky, the argumentation head of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital, "The Trump administration, successful citing Iran's rocket threat arsenic a rationale for Operation Epic Fury, was truthful justified successful its determination to undertake subject action arsenic Iran has consistently refused to discuss complete its rocket program. It besides shows really vulnerable it is to solely trust connected Iranian atomic weapons fatwas and nan ultimate leader’s nationalist rhetoric successful formulating U.S. policy. As agelong arsenic Iran retains nan method capacity beyond nationalist pronouncements, it is simply a threat."

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A large banner depicting Iran's erstwhile Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is placed adjacent to a ballistic rocket successful Baharestan Square successful Tehran, Iran, connected September 26, 2024, connected nan sideline of an accumulation which marks nan 44th day of nan commencement of Iran-Iraq war.  (Photo by Hossein Beris /Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

According to Brodsky, "I deliberation it's a connection that nan IRGC is successful complaint successful Iran aft Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's death. When Khamenei was alive, he constricted nan scope of Iran's rocket programme to 2000 km. Khamenei recounted successful 2018 really he had rejected overtures from IRGC commanders seeking to summation nan scope to arsenic overmuch arsenic 5000 km."

He continued, "But now that he has died, those voices successful nan IRGC seeking to summation nan scope are apt driving nan agenda. The motorboat of nan missiles was apt meant arsenic a awesome of nan IRGC's capabilities to frighten U.S. friends beyond nan Middle East. For example, this threatens Europe."

The 2 long-range Iranian missiles did not deed nan base, but nan attempted onslaught marked a important description of Iran’s scope beyond nan Middle East and toward a awesome U.S. strategical hub. One rocket reportedly grounded successful flight, while a U.S. warship launched an SM-3 interceptor astatine nan other, officials said. It was not instantly clear whether nan interception was successful. The distant guidelines is simply a captious motorboat constituent for U.S. bombers, atomic submarines and different strategical assets.

Ilan Berman, Vice President of nan American Foreign Policy Council successful Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital, "The motorboat hammers location nan president’s constituent astir Iran being an imminent threat. It’s easy for casual observers to ignore, but nan expanding maturity of Iran’s strategical programs, plural, has been exponentially expanding nan threat that nan Islamic Republic poses beyond nan Middle East. That is what "Epic Fury" is seeking to address. The management believes, perfectly correctly successful my view, that these types of capabilities cannot beryllium near successful nan hands of a radical, predatory regime."

HEZBOLLAH, IRAN UNLEASH COORDINATED CLUSTER BOMB STRIKES ON ISRAEL IN MAJOR ESCALATION

Israeli aerial defense systems are activated to intercept Iranian missiles complete nan Israeli metropolis of Tel Aviv amid a caller barrage of Iranian rockets connected June 16, 2025. (Menahem Kahanna/AFP via Getty Images)

He continued that "Despite its nationalist denials, it’s been clear that nan Iranian authorities has been moving connected expanding nan scope of its ballistic rocket capabilities for years. The motorboat toward Diego Garcia confirms that it has made existent advancement toward that goal, and is already capable to put targets successful nan aforesaid scope arsenic Central and Eastern Europe astatine risk. Moreover, it’s clear that nan authorities is seeking still greater capabilities – and that, if near intact, Iran’s ballistic missiles would attain intercontinental scope soon."

Berman, nan writer of "Iran’s Deadly Ambition: The Islamic Republic’s Quest for Global Power," added, "The parallel improvement Iran has been carrying retired connected its space program is significant. The booster utilized to put payloads into orbit tin beryllium joined onto a medium-range rocket to create intercontinental scope capabilities. Before nan war, we were seeing a clear convergence of nan regime’s strategical programs: its ballistic rocket work, its abstraction capabilities and its atomic program."

A U.S. B-2 Spirit bomber, portion of nan 509th Bomb Wing astatine Whiteman Air Force Base successful Missouri, stops for refueling astatine nan U.S. subject guidelines connected Diego Garcia successful October 2001, pursuing an airstrike ngo complete Afghanistan successful support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Department of Defense/Senior Airman Rebeca M. Luquin)

He warned astir nan superior Iranian threat to continental Europe. "Europe is perfectly astatine risk, arsenic nan caller motorboat makes clear. I wouldn’t opportunity that a nonaccomplishment to admit this to day has been owed to a expansive deception by Tehran, though. It is much attributable to willful blindness connected nan portion of European elites astir nan grade of nan threat that nan Iranian authorities poses, arsenic good arsenic undue religion successful diplomacy and arms power successful containing it," he said.

On Saturday, nan United Kingdom condemned nan attack. "Iran’s reckless attacks, lashing retired crossed nan region and holding hostage nan Strait of Hormuz, are a threat to British interests and British allies," nan U.K. Ministry of Defense said successful a statement. "RAF jets and different U.K. subject assets are continuing to take sides our group and unit successful nan region."

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"This authorities has fixed support to nan U.S. to usage British bases for circumstantial and constricted protect operations," it added.

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.