Iran missiles fit reach Europe as dia war wit US and Israel dey continue?

Iran launch of long-range ballistic missiles towards di joint UK-US military base on di Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia na escalation of di conflict for di Middle East.

Di pipo wey dem bin really target, dem no bomb dem, but di Israel Defense Forces (IDF) don tok say dis na di first time since di war start wey dem dey use dat kain long-range missiles.

Tehran neva officially confam weda dem fire di missiles yet, but Iranian media wey dey largely cite foreign outlets for dia tori.

Experts don dey consider di implications of di failed attack now, including wetin e fit mean for a wider range of potential targets. Wey , for instance, European capitals including Berlin, Paris and London be target for future?

One UK cabinet minister don tok say "no assessment dey to substantiate" claim wey di IDF make say Iran get long-range missiles wey dey capable of reaching London.

"Iran missile programme don be focal point of international scrutiny, for a long time" na wetin Ghoncheh Habibiazad from BBC NewsPersian tok.

"While Tehran dey insist say dia missile development na purely defensive and get roots for national defence strategy, critics argue say improvements for long-range capabilities fit change regional security dynamics."

E neva reach one month since negotiations bin happun to address concerns ova Tehran nuclear ambitions, wit di potential for further rounds wey dey set to happun wen Israel and di US bin launch dia attack.

Di Chagos Islands - wey Diego Garcia na part of dem - dey approximately 3,800km from Iran.

Di Wall Street Journal and CNN bin report on di firing of di ballistic missiles, wia dem bin cite unnamed US officials, but dem bin tok say no weapon bin reach dia target.

Tori be say one of di missiles bin fail as e dey travel for air, while one US warship block di oda ones. Di BBC understand say di tori dey accurate.

Soon afta di incident, di IDF bin tok say many cities for Europe, Asia and Africa bin dey at risk and e bin don reveal last year say Tehran bin get di intention to develop missiles wey get such capabilities.

Di IDF chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, bin post one social video afta di launch towards di Chagos Islands wit ogbonge warning. "Iran bin launch a two-stage inter-continental ballistic missile wit a range of 4,000km.

Di target of di missiles no suppose hit Israel," im tok. "Dia range fit reach di capitals of Europe. Berlin, Paris and Rome, all of dem dey within direct threat range."

Odas, include di defence expert and former head of di UK Joint Forces Command - General Sir Richard Barrons - bin tell di BBC say dis don force all di reassessment of Iran missile stockpile and wia dem fit reach.

"Bifor, we bin tink say Iran missiles bin get range of 2,000km and Diego na 3,800km."

Iran until now tok say dem get self-imposed limit on dia ballistic missile program, wey limit dia range to 1,240 miles (2,000km). E bin mean say Israel bin dey striking distance of Iran missiles, but no be Europe.

Di late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei bin tok for 2021 say na political choice - and no be becos of technical challenges wey disturb dem from manufacturing di missiles - and dem bin make am in di face of opposition from military leaders and di Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC).

Im bin wan maintain di threat against Israel - but no be to raise alarm for Europe wey no dey for Tehran crosshairs.

However, for September last year, one Iranian MP bin tell state TV say di IRGC bin successfully test‑launch one intercontinental ballistic missile - although im bin no give details about di missile range.

Missile range capabilities

In addition, US officials bin dey allege since say Iran space program fit mean say dem dey develop technologies wey fit allow dem to build intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to di Times of Israel - and e fit make use of dis technology wen di need arise.

Some analysts bin agree. Dr Karin von Hippel, di former director-general of di Royal United Services Institute for London, bin tell BBC News say "assuming di missiles reach Diego Garcia . . . di Iranians dey also develop intercontinental ballistic missiles wey fit reach up to 10,000km, although we neva see am in action yet."

E go mean say missiles wey dem go fire from Iran fit potentially reach di continental US.

Now, observers say di intended strike for di Indian Ocean show say dem don remove di limit

But some say, dem no sure weda di missiles fit reach dia intended target, even if dem bin no first block am.

Steve Reed, di UK housing minister, tell di BBC, "No specific assessment say di Iranians dey target di UK or even fit target dem if dem bin want to."

One issue na weda or not Iran don master di operational technology wey dem need to carry out such long-range strikes yet - including di ability to control and guide di missiles for such long distances. And one psychological aspect dey too.

Some bellieve say Iran bin no actually plan to hit di targets but instead, Tehran bin dey send clear warning message of dia intention and defence.

"No be like say dem tink say dem go attack London or Paris tomorrow, but I tink say for dem na anoda element wey dey enable dem to build dia defence," na wetin Danny Citrinowicz, one former Israeli military intelligence officer wey now dey work for di Tel-Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, tell di The Independent newspaper for London.

Israel response to di events for di Indian Ocean dis week fit also dey interpreted as rallying cry.

"Of course Israel go tok like dis, sake of say e dey in dia interest to make di war big to bring in as many oda nations inside to join America and Israel," General Sir Richard Shirreff, di former Nato deputy commander for Europe, tell di BBC.

"Make we resist am. Dis na Trump war, wey no get clear end state and strategy, wey dey turn into ogbonge wahala now. Dem bin tell us say dem bin don remove di nuclear capabilities six months ago. We no fit believe anytin wey dey come from Washington about dis mata."