Iran Denies Diego Garcia Strike, Calls Israeli Claim "False Flag Storytelling"

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson denied targeting the joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia island in the Indian Ocean with a missile, calling it "the latest Israeli lie." Israeli Army Chief Eyal Zamir stated that Iran used "a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 4,000 km" to target the base. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte then announced that the alliance "cannot confirm" Israel's claim that missiles fired toward Diego Garcia were Iranian ICBMs. Ismail Baghaei, on Monday, reshared Rutte's remarks on X, writing that Israel's claim amounted to "false flag-based storytelling." On Saturday, reports emerged of Iran firing two medium-range ballistic missiles toward Diego Garcia, though the missiles reportedly failed to reach their target. Diego Garcia is approximately 3,800 km from Iran and hosts a joint UK-US air base capable of accommodating long-range US bombers. The missiles did not reach their target.