Iran possesses the capability to strike London with missiles, US secretary of war Pete Hegseth has warned, highlighting what he described as the global threat emanating from Tehran.
His remarks, delivered during a White House cabinet meeting, follow a recent incident where two missiles were launched towards the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
The Indian Ocean island, located approximately 4,000km from Iran, was targeted last Friday.
While the UK government confirmed both missiles fell short of their intended target, the event has intensified concerns regarding the potential threat to Britain itself from Iran.
Previously, UK defence secretary John Healey declined to confirm whether Tehran had the capability to strike Britain, though he stressed that officials did not believe an attack was imminent.
“We have the resources, the alliances in place to be able to protect Britain,” he said.
The Israeli military has previously claimed that Iranian missiles could achieve a range of around 4,000km, placing numerous countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa at risk.
Without explicitly naming Diego Garcia, Mr Hegseth said: “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 [2,000] 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, which 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."
Amid these rising tensions, neither side appears willing to de-escalate in the Middle East. The US continues to bolster its combat forces in the region, while Iran maintains its strategic control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil and gas.
Mr Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, confirmed that the US had presented a 15-point “action list” to Iran, delivered via Pakistan, as a potential framework for a peace deal.
However, Mr Trump made it clear he was not actively pursuing an agreement, saying: “They’re begging to make a deal, not me. They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they’re afraid to say it because they figure they’ll be killed by their own people.”
This assertion was directly contradicted by Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, who told state TV that his government had not engaged in talks to end the conflict, adding: “And we do not plan on any negotiations.”
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