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Iran calls Diego Garcia attack 'false flag'

U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 96th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron prepare a B-52 Stratofortress assigned to Barksdale Air Force Base, La. April 3, 2024. (Photo via U.S. Air Force)
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U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 96th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron prepare a B-52 Stratofortress assigned to Barksdale Air Force Base, La. April 3, 2024. (Photo via U.S. Air Force)
March 23, 2026 12:19 PM GMT+03:00

Iran's Foreign Ministry denied on Monday that it targeted the Diego Garcia base with missiles, calling the attack a "Zionist false flag" operation.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance "cannot confirm" Israeli claims that Iran possesses missiles capable of striking Paris, Berlin and London, while Netanyahu insisted Iran has demonstrated it can "reach deep into Europe."

U.S. Air Force 37th Bomb Squadron weapons systems officer uses a land mobile radio as he watches a B-1B Lancer land in support of a Bomber Task Force mission at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, Oct. 17, 2021. (Photo via U.S. Air Force)
U.S. Air Force 37th Bomb Squadron weapons systems officer uses a land mobile radio as he watches a B-1B Lancer land in support of a Bomber Task Force mission at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, Oct. 17, 2021. (Photo via U.S. Air Force)

Iran: 'Israeli false flag', Baqaei cites NATO skepticism

Iran's Foreign Ministry rejected allegations that it fired missiles at the U.S.-U.K. base at Diego Garcia, describing the attack as an Israeli false flag operation.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said: "That even the NATO Secretary General—who is infamously pressing Alliance members to appease the U.S. and support their illegal war on Iran—declines to endorse Israel's most recent disinformation, speaks volumes: the world has grown thoroughly exhausted with these tired and discredited 'false flag' storylines."

NATO: 'Cannot confirm' Iran can hit European capitals

Rutte, speaking on CBS News's Face the Nation, said the alliance cannot currently confirm Israeli claims that Iran has missiles capable of hitting Paris, Berlin and London.

"We cannot confirm that at the moment. We are looking into that," Rutte said.

When pressed on what NATO does know about Iran's missile range, Rutte said, "What we know for sure is that they are very close to having that capability. Whether this case... with the UK base we are still assessing, but if that is true, they already have that capability, if it's not true, we know they are very close to having that capability."

He added that if the claims proved true, it would be "more evidence" that Trump's decision to attack Iran "is crucial."

Netanyahu claims 'Iran has the capacity to reach deep into Europe'

Speaking at the site of the Iranian missile strike in Arad, Netanyahu claimed, "They fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Diego Garcia. That's 4,000 kilometers. I've been warning all the time. They have now the capacity to reach deep into Europe. They already have fired on European countries, Cyprus."

Britain confirmed that one missile was intercepted and the other "fell short" of the base, according to Cabinet minister Steve Reed, who told the BBC the government has "no specific assessment" that Iran is seeking to target Europe, "let alone that they could if they tried."

Reed did not specify how close the missiles came to the base.

Iran had previously imposed a self-imposed limit of 2,000 kilometers on its ballistic missile program.

Diego Garcia lies approximately 4,000 kilometers from Iran.

An infographic titled 'Diego Garcia Base' was created in Ankara, Türkiye, on March 21, 2026. (AA Infographic)
An infographic titled 'Diego Garcia Base' was created in Ankara, Türkiye, on March 21, 2026. (AA Infographic)

Diego Garcia: Strategic hub 'indispensable' for US operations

Diego Garcia is part of the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean.

The United States has described the base as "an all but indispensable platform" for security operations in the Middle East, South Asia and East Africa, and has used it to support operations from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is home to approximately 2,500 mostly American personnel.

Britain initially refused to allow the base to be used for U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, but later permitted American bombers to use Diego Garcia and another British base to strike Iran's missile sites, describing the authorization as limited to "specific and limited defensive operations."

On Friday, the U.K. government said this includes sites being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer "is putting British lives in danger by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran."

The U.S. deployed several nuclear-capable B-2 Spirit bombers to Diego Garcia last year during strikes on Yemen's Houthis. In 2008, the U.S. acknowledged the base had also been used for clandestine rendition flights of terror suspects.

March 23, 2026 12:19 PM GMT+03:00
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