- US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has claimed that Iran could strike London, underscoring what he described as a global threat from Tehran.
- His remarks come after two missiles were fired at the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, approximately 4,000km from Iran, though both fell short of their target.
- Without explicitly naming Diego Garcia, Mr Hegseth stated: "Two days ago they (Iran) shot two failed missiles on a target 4,000km away. For years, they told the world that their missiles could only range two (thousand) kilometres. Surprise. Yet again, Iran lie."
- He continued: "And to the world. I say London is 4,000km from Iran. Washington DC is 3,300km from Venezuela, another country President Trump did something about, partnered for a long time with Iran. So you’re telling us that Iran is not a threat to the world or to the US, President Trump knows better."
- In contrast, UK defence secretary John Healey declined to confirm Iran's ability to reach the UK and stressed that military chiefs did not believe Tehran harboured any such intentions.
IN FULL
