Does Iran have missiles to hit Europe? Understand the alert that emerged after an attack on a remote island in the Indian Ocean

See images of the Chagos Islands and the Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean. Israel announced on Saturday (21) that Iran has missiles capable of hitting targets up to 4,000 km away, which would allow attacks against major cities in Europe. The allegation was made after an attack on a military base in Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, around 3,800 km from Iranian territory. ✅ Follow g1’s international news channel on WhatsApp ▶️ Context: Diego Garcia is a remote island controlled by the United Kingdom and home to a military base shared with the United States. The British government authorized the use of the site by US forces to attack Iranian missile launchers targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz. According to The Wall Street Journal, Iran launched two missiles at the Diego Garcia base on Friday morning (20). One of the projectiles failed en route, while the other was intercepted by a United States warship. The semi-state Mehr agency confirmed that Iran launched an attack “that demonstrates that the range of Iranian missiles goes beyond what the enemy imagined.” On the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the United Kingdom was putting British lives at risk by allowing the use of bases for attacks. Until then, it was public knowledge that Iran had missiles with a range of at least 2,000 km. A few days before the start of the war, Araghchi said in an interview that this was the limit imposed by the Iranian government. 🤔 But, after all, would Iran be capable of hitting targets in Europe? In theory, yes. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a US-based think tank, analyzes indicate that Iranian missiles with a range of 2,000 km would have the ability to hit targets in European countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Greece. A missile with a range of 4,000 km would change this scenario. With weapons of this type, Iran could target large centers such as Berlin, London, Rome and Paris, in addition to almost all other European capitals. 🔎 On the other hand, Maurício Santoro, PhD in Political Science from Iuperj and collaborator at the Center for Political-Strategic Studies of the Brazilian Navy, states that having this type of weaponry does not necessarily mean that an attack against Europe is in the plans. According to the professor, at this moment, there is no indication that Iran intends to attack European territory in the context of the war against Israel and the United States. Still, the possibility of Tehran possessing a missile with greater range raises an alarm on the continent. “The simple fact that Iran has this possibility, however remote it may be, already has profound consequences. This makes Europe look even more cautiously at the war in the Middle East”, he says. Iranian missile attack against military base in the Indian Ocean and raises alert in Europe Art g1 Does Iran really have a more powerful missile? In 2015, Iran revealed it had a missile known as the Soumar, which could hit targets up to 3,000 km away. However, according to CSIS, there are doubts about this number. The assessment is that the actual range would probably be below 2,500 km. The country also has short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, with models ranging between 300 km and 2,000 km. Systems like Sejjil and Shahab-3 have ranges of over 1,000 km and can reach Israel and other Middle Eastern countries. In recent years, analysts have pointed out that Iran could be developing technologies to build missiles capable of reaching even greater distances, reaching 5,000 km, but there has never been official confirmation. Still, authorities raised the possibility of progress in this regard. In early February, during a visit to the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Donald Trump that Iran had advanced in ballistic programs. The information was obtained by Reuters based on sources with knowledge of the meeting. At the meeting, Netanyahu stated that there was a possibility that Iran, in the future, could reach US territory. Three weeks later, on the eve of the attack on Iran, Trump said in a speech to Congress that the country had missiles capable of threatening Europe and was working to catch up with the United States. Regarding the episode involving Diego Garcia, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated on Sunday (22) that there was still no confirmation that Iran would have a missile capable of hitting targets 4,000 km away, but that the possibility exists. “What we know for sure is that they are very close to having this capability. In the case of the British base in Diego Garcia, we are still evaluating it. But, if it is true, it means that they already have this capability,” he said in an interview with CBS News. Iran itself has given conflicting signals about its possession of a missile with a range of 4,000 km. Following the Iranian Foreign Minister’s statements about British lives being at risk and the Mehr agency’s report on the range of the missiles, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei adopted a different tone. On Monday (23), when commenting on Mark Rutte’s speeches on a social network, Baqaei stated that the NATO secretary general refused to support Israel’s “disinformation” about Iranian missiles and that the “world is completely exhausted by these outdated and discredited stories”. 🔎 Professor Maurício Santoro states that, if the possession of a missile with a range of 4,000 km is confirmed, this would indicate a significant advance in Iranian capacity. Still, there are doubts about the status of this weaponry. “We still don’t know how many of these long-range missiles Iran has at the moment. Maybe it’s a very small arsenal, maybe they’re still prototypes, and the technology still needs to be improved,” he says. Iran’s missile test Reproduction/Ministry of Defense of Iran/Via AFP Alert in Europe The attack on the base in Diego Garcia generated alerts in Europe, mainly in the United Kingdom. This Monday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer tried to calm tempers and stated that there is no indication that Iran intends to attack the country. “We conduct assessments all the time to ensure our safety, and there is no analysis to indicate that we are being targeted in this way,” he said. Starmer also stated that the government’s priority is to protect British interests and reduce tension in the region. 🔎 Professor Maurício Santoro states that, at the moment, there is no political sense for an attack by Iran against Europe. Even so, he explains that the continent would have a good chance of defending itself in the event of an offensive. “Especially if they were attacks with a few missiles, one or two, like Iran did against Diego Garcia, there would be a very high possibility that European countries would be able to intercept and prevent these missiles from causing damage”, he states. According to the professor, until now Iran has been focusing on a lower-cost strategy, using sea mines, drones and rockets to pressure international trade and impact the price of oil. “The Iranian strategy has been to attack neighboring countries, including civilian targets such as hotels and tourist infrastructure, to show the Gulf countries that a prolonged war is bad not only for Iran, but also for them,” he says. “This low-cost strategy has proven more important to Iran than more ambitious technologies such as ballistic missiles.” VIDEOS: trending on g1 See videos that are trending on g1

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