Once again, tension has escalated in West Asia. Within hours of US President Donald Trump’s warning, Iran threatened to attack the US-UK military base at Diego Garcia island in the Indian Ocean. This is a major escalation between the US and Iran.
In the early hours of Sunday, Trump warned Iran that it would be bombed like never before if it did not come to the negotiating table with the US regarding its nuclear programme.
After pulling the US from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, Trump not only warned Iran to come to the negotiating table but also sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to start negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear programme earlier this month.
Within hours of Trump’s warning, Iran retaliated with its own threats, stating that it would target the US-UK military base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean if the US launched an attack. A senior Iranian official told The Daily Telegraph that “there will be no distinction in targeting British or American forces if Iran is attacked from any base in the region.”
Diego Garcia is the largest island in the Chagos Islands archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The United Kingdom maintains a military base on the island where the British and US militaries jointly operate. Lately, the Trump administration has deployed long-range bombers to the base in the wake of rising tensions in West Asia.
The Iranian state media further reported that Tehran had prepared ballistic missiles and suicide drones to target the Diego Garcia base and other Western military installations in the region, including a naval base in Bahrain. The report specifically mentioned newer versions of the Khorramshahr missile and Shahed drones as part of Iran’s military response strategy.
Why is Iran eyeing Diego Garcia?
Diego Garcia is strategically important for the US and has proved an asset time and again. The base has been used to project American power in West Asia by launching air operations, including strategic bombings in Iraq (1991, 2003) and Afghanistan (2001).
Logistically the base has been helpful as a supply and logistics hub for US naval and air forces operating in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, and Red Sea. It supports aircraft carriers, submarines, and long-range bombers like the B-52, B-1, and B-2 stealth bombers. In order to keep an eye in the region, the US base provides military security and surveillance. Diego Garcia enables the US to monitor major sea routes like the Strait of Hormuz (key for Gulf oil transport) and the Bab el-Mandeb (connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean). The base houses advanced satellite and intelligence-gathering systems.
In any potential conflict with Iran, Diego Garcia can be used to launch airstrikes and naval operations. It has been vital in counterterrorism operations against groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.
Hence, the base is essential to operate and have military dominance over West Asia. Iran knows the strategic importance of the base, and any damage inflicted on Diego Garcia would dent the US military dominance in West Asia and the Indian Ocean.
The war of words that has erupted between the US and Iran, two adversary nations earlier this month, is heading towards a major escalation where Iran is preparing an attack on one of the critical US military bases in the region.
