Israel has claimed that Iran has missiles capable of hitting European capitals as Trump and Netanyahu look for the backing of historic allies in their unilateral war
Britain would receive just 20 minutes of warning if Iran ever succeeded in launching a missile capable of hitting the UK, as Israel has warned.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) warned yesterday that Iran’s “terrorist regime” has missiles that could reach London, Paris or Berlin as it attempts to drag international allies into a war on which they were not consulted. The IDF said: “The Iranian terrorist regime poses a global threat. Now, with missiles that can reach London, Paris or Berlin.”
The warning has pointed the spotlight at the UK’s missile defences, which experts have warned may not be equipped to intercept a missile, and that the country’s warning systems are only very short-notice.
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If an Iranian missile were headed towards the UK, it would first be detected by intelligence satellites. Then, the UK’s senior security officials would reportedly rush to Pindar, a bunker five floors beneath the Ministry of Defence.
Iran’s fastest warhead, the Khorramshahr-4, can travel at speeds of up to mach 10 (7,672 mph second), allowing it to cover the 2,750 miles between Tehran and London in around 20 minutes. Khorramshahr-4’s were used by the regime during an attempted attack on towards the UK-US base Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands on Friday, demonstrating that it can launch missiles with a 2,485-mile range.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said it was the first time the mullahs have deployed a long-range missile since the start of the war. Experts believe the chances of ever hitting the UK or any other European target are low, however.
Analysts have said that any missile fired at the country would need to be light and fast in order to make contact, meaning that payloads would have to be much smaller. The worst-case scenario, Dr Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), told The Times, would need a payload weighing between 450 to 550kg.
A payload of this size could destroy a building, but only if it reached the UK first, which would require it to trace a route over western Europe – and dozens of British allies.
A military source told the Times: “It would have to fly a long way over multiple air defence networks and be very precise.” Britain, as well as being protected by its own Type 45 destroyers, is protected by NATO’s Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system, which is designed to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The Government has disputed that Iran is even capable of hitting the UK in the first place, with communities secretary Steve Reed telling Laura BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that there was “no specific assessment that the Iranians are targeting the UK or [that they] even could if they wanted to.
He added: “I’m not aware of any assessment at all that they are even trying to target Europe, let alone that they could if they tried. But even if they did, we have the necessary military capability to defend this country.”
