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Iranian Missiles Strike Far-Off Target, but U.S. Remains Out of Range
Iranian Missiles Strike Far-Off Target, but U.S. Remains Out of Range
Iran’s attempted attack on a military base 2,500 miles away raises questions of the reach of its arsenal.
Diego Garcia, the site of a joint British-U.S. military base, seen in a U.S. Navy handout photo. U.S. Navy, via Reuters
By Julian E. Barnes and Eric Schmitt
Reporting from Washington
March 21, 2026
Updated 5:23 p.m. ET
Iran’s attempted missile attack on Friday on a joint U.S.-British military base in the Indian Ocean, 2,500 miles away, immediately prompted questions of how far Tehran’s weapons can reach.
Before the current war on Iran, President Trump raised similar fears, noting in his State of the Union address that Iran was “working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”
But for now, Iran’s missiles cannot reach the United States, and as the failed strike on the military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean demonstrated, the farther Iran fires, the less reliable its missiles and the less accurate its attacks become.
Iran fired two missiles at Diego Garcia, said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. One failed mid-flight and the other was shot down by an American warship. The official added that the launch had surprised the United States because of its range.
{snip}
Aaron Boxermanin Jerusalem contributed reporting.
Julian E. Barnes covers the U.S. intelligence agencies and international security matters for The Times. He has written about security issues for more than two decades.
Eric Schmitt is a national security correspondent for The Times. He has reported on U.S. military affairs and counterterrorism for more than three decades.
Iran’s attempted attack on a military base 2,500 miles away raises questions of the reach of its arsenal.
Diego Garcia, the site of a joint British-U.S. military base, seen in a U.S. Navy handout photo. U.S. Navy, via Reuters
By Julian E. Barnes and Eric Schmitt
Reporting from Washington
March 21, 2026
Updated 5:23 p.m. ET
Iran’s attempted missile attack on Friday on a joint U.S.-British military base in the Indian Ocean, 2,500 miles away, immediately prompted questions of how far Tehran’s weapons can reach.
Before the current war on Iran, President Trump raised similar fears, noting in his State of the Union address that Iran was “working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.”
But for now, Iran’s missiles cannot reach the United States, and as the failed strike on the military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean demonstrated, the farther Iran fires, the less reliable its missiles and the less accurate its attacks become.
Iran fired two missiles at Diego Garcia, said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. One failed mid-flight and the other was shot down by an American warship. The official added that the launch had surprised the United States because of its range.
{snip}
Aaron Boxermanin Jerusalem contributed reporting.
Julian E. Barnes covers the U.S. intelligence agencies and international security matters for The Times. He has written about security issues for more than two decades.
Eric Schmitt is a national security correspondent for The Times. He has reported on U.S. military affairs and counterterrorism for more than three decades.