In a sharp escalation, Iran attempted to strike the joint UK-US base Diego Garcia with two intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Both failed: one broke apart in flight and the other was targeted by an SM-3 interceptor from an American warship. The base was left untouched. The significance, however, lies less in the failure than in the fact that the attempt was made at all, which has expanded the scope of the existing conflict zone beyond all expectations.

Diego Garcia forms part of the Chagos Archipelago – sovereign British territory – and is one of the most critical platforms for American power projection anywhere on earth. It functions as an unsinkable aircraft carrier for US heavy bombers and as a deep-water harbor for nuclear submarines operating across the Indian Ocean and into the Indo-Pacific. Yet as Iran targets the islands with missiles, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer continues to press ahead with his plans to hand over sovereignty to Mauritius, rather than to reinforce British control over it.

The Chagos handover........

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