Experts believe the intermediate-range ballistic missiles used in Iran’s recent failed strike on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean were variants of the Khorramshahr-4, a system that could theoretically reach parts of the United Kingdom. According to The Times, one missile was intercepted between Thursday night and Friday by an SM-3 launched from a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, while a second missile fell short after traveling roughly 1,990 miles—about 400 miles from the US-UK base in the Chagos Islands.

A military source noted that even if such missiles were aimed at England, successfully striking London would be “very unlikely,” citing the need to traverse multiple layers of air defense and maintain high precision over a long distance. These defensive layers include U.S. Aegis Ashore Ballistic Missile Defense sites in Poland and Romania.

The UK’s Royal Navy operates six Type 45 air-defense destroyers, which are capable of intercepting medium-range ballistic missiles but not intercontinental ones. However, the UK is also covered by NATO’s wider Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system, which includes installations across Europe and Turkey.