Iran targeted but did not hit Diego Garcia base with missiles, WSJ reports

Diego Garcia, a British Indian Ocean Territory and the largest of the islands in the Chagos Archipelago on July 02, 2013 in Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory.

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Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at ​Diego Garcia but did ‌not hit the U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian ​Ocean, the Wall ​Street Journal reported, ⁠citing multiple U.S. ​officials.

One of the missiles failed ​in flight, while a U.S. warship fired an SM-3 interceptor ​at the other, ​although it could not be determined ‌if ⁠the interception succeeded, the newspaper said on Friday. The Journal did not specify when ​the ​missiles ⁠were fired.

A spokesperson for the U.K. Ministry of Defence told CNBC it was preparing a statement.

The White House and the British ​embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to ⁠Reuters’ ​requests for comment.

The reported attack marked Iran’s first operational use of intermediate-range ballistic missiles and a significant attempt to reach far beyond the Middle East and threaten U.S. interests, the Wall Street Journal said.

The U.K. agreed in May 2025 to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, where the Diego Garcia base is located, to Mauritius, which has long-disputed the U.K.'s acquisition and ownership of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the U.K.'s plan.

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