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John Healey has not ruled out the possibility that Iran could have the capability to strike the UK. Still, he emphasised that there is currently no intelligence indicating Tehran has plans to do so. During an interview on Sky News, the Defence Secretary was asked whether Iran could reach London with missile strikes.
He responded, “We have no assessment of Iranian plans to strike London.”
When questioned directly about Iran’s capabilities, he added, “What I’m saying, and trying to reassure people, is that we’ve got no assessment that Iran has any plans to attack. However, we have the resources and the alliances in place to defend Britain, which we do with our allies and through NATO.”
His comments follow Iran’s recent missile launches toward the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, which fell short of their target. Mr Healey warned that Iran is showing an increasing ability to strike across the Middle East and noted that some of their tactics resemble those used by Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.
He stated, “This is the hidden hand of Putin in both conflicts.”
The Defence Secretary also faced questions regarding delays in the Government’s long-awaited defence investment plan. Tan Dhesi, chairman of the Defence Committee, suggested that the plan may not be published until after May’s elections, describing the situation as a “mess.” Healey denied that the Treasury was holding up the plan but acknowledged the broader pressures on Britain’s military capabilities.
Healey defended the decision to allow Germany to take part in a NATO naval mission after the Royal Navy deployed HMS Dragon to the Eastern Mediterranean in response to the crisis with Iran. Referring to Germany as “good allies,” he said this decision reflects “the strength of the NATO alliance.” However, he admitted, “I’m not happy with the situation we have with British warships, and that’s because it takes six years to build a warship.”
Currently, the UK operates 17 frigates and destroyers, but Healey stated that operational demands necessitate difficult choices. “We were preparing Dragon to play that flagship role,” he explained. “The way that Iran hit back in an indiscriminate, widespread manner meant I needed to reinforce the defences that we had already, before the conflict broke out, established in the Middle East.”
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