By Dov Lieber
Iran's missile attack on Diego Garcia, a U.S.-U.K. military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean and roughly as far from Iran as London and Paris, shows Tehran getting bolder about demonstrating its ability to target Europe, said Danny Citrinowicz, who formerly headed the Iran desk in Israeli military intelligence.
The attack on the base, roughly 2,500 miles from Iran, is the furthest recorded missile launch by the country, said Citrinowicz. The missiles were likely a modified version of existing long-range missiles with weight removed, allowing them to fly further.
The decision to demonstrate Iran's ability to threaten Europe shows a more hawkish, extremist posture than before the war, said Citrinowicz, now a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last month that Iran has deliberately limited the range of its missiles to around 1,250 miles.
Israeli officials have said the bombing campaign in Iran has harmed the country's offensive capabilities. The long-range missiles show those capabilities remain intact.
"We should assume that Iran's command-and-control, despite all the pressure, is still working, and has the ability to think about the strategy and implement it," Citrinowicz said.
This item is part of a Wall Street Journal live coverage event. The full stream can be found by searching P/WSJL (WSJ Live Coverage).
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 21, 2026 06:48 ET (10:48 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
