Iran threatens to strike a large US-British base in the Indian Ocean if it attacked by the US
Iran has warned that it will target the Chagos Islands, in the Indian Ocean, which is home to the US-British Diego Garcia naval base, if the United States launches an attack on its territory, while Britain has condemned the threat.
The Iranian threat came in response to a statement by US President Donald Trump, who vowed to take military action against Tehran if it didn’t reach an agreement with Washington regarding its nuclear program.
The Telegraph quoted a senior Iranian military official as saying that Tehran would strike the US-British naval base Diego Garcia in retaliation for any US attack.
The Iranian official added that there would be no discrimination between British or US forces if Iran were attacked from any base in the region or within range of Iranian missiles.
In contrast, a British government spokesperson emphasized the importance of the base, located in the central Indian Ocean, to the security of Britain and the United States, emphasizing London’s condemnation of these threats and its continued work with partners to encourage de-escalation.
The Diego Garcia base is located at the Chagos Archipelago, which Britain leased to its ally, the United States, in 1966 for 50 years.
Immediately after leasing the island, the United States began construction of a naval and air base on the island, after forcing the area’s residents to leave their homes between 1967 and 1973.
The island was also closed to tourists and the media.
The base was inaugurated in 1977 and includes a 3,600-meter runway for military cargo aircraft, as well as a seaport capable of accommodating two aircraft carriers simultaneously.
Britain also extended the island’s lease to the United States for an additional 20 years, starting in 2016.
According to satellite, at least three B-2 Spirit bombers, also known as the stealth bomber, have arrived at the base this week.
Two days ago, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that his country had responded to US President Trump’s letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, via the Sultanate of Oman.
According to Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, Araghchi stressed that Tehran won’t enter into direct negotiations with the United States under threat and military pressure, but that indirect talks held previously may continue.
The Iranian minister noted that Tehran had held indirect talks with the United States under former presidents Hassan Rouhani and Ebrahim Raisi.
In an interview with Fox Business Network on March 7, Trump revealed that he had sent a letter to Khamenei, saying, “I wrote them a letter saying, “I hope you negotiate because it would be a terrible thing for us to go in militarily”.
On the 12th of the same month, Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic advisor to the UAE president, delivered a letter from the US president to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to Iranian media.
Last February, Trump signed a presidential decree re-imposing a maximum pressure policy on Iran, with sanctions designed to cripple its oil exports.
