Housing Secretary Steve Reed has insisted the UK is safe as the government played down shock claims Iran has developed long-range firepower capable of reaching Britain.
Israel issued a stark warning that Iranian missiles are a threat to European cities – including London, Paris and Berlin – after an attack on the UK-US Diego Garcia military base on the Chagos Islands.
The UK hit out at the “reckless” Iranian action on Saturday after two ballistic missiles were fired towards the base. Both were unsuccessful, with one shot down by a US warship and the other failing in flight.
But Israel was accused of exaggerating the threat to build support for the war, even as experts suggested Britain would be left vulnerable if Iran did have the capability to hit the UK.
It comes as tensions in the region escalated again, with Iran threatening to destroy energy targets across the Middle East after Trump's issued an ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or the US would "obliterate" Iran's power plants.
Two Iranian missiles hit towns in Southern Israel overnight on Saturday, injuring scores of civilians in one of the worst attacks of the war so far on Israeli soil.
Israel's military has also been ordered to destroy all bridges over Lebanon's Litani River and to step up the demolition of Lebanese homes near the Israeli border, the country's defence minister said on Sunday.
Mr Reed told Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: "We have systems and defences in place that keep the United Kingdom safe, and that will continue to happen.”
He repeatedly refused to say how close the missiles had come to Diego Garcia, which is thousands of miles from Iran, but insisted that the fact that one was intercepted and the other failed shows "that our defensive capabilities are correct".
Asked later if he accepted reports that the UK could be hit by Iranian missiles, he told Times Radio: “No. There's no assessment that I'm aware of that says either that the Iranians would target Europe, or even that they could if they wanted to.”
Hours later Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on his nation’s warning, saying Iran has the capacity to reach "deep into Europe".
Speaking to reporters, Mr Netanyahu said: "They fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Diego Garcia - that's 4,000 kilometres. I've been warning all the time. They have now the capacity to reach deep into Europe. They already have fired on a European country, Cyprus. They are putting everyone in their sights."
But Israel has been accused of exaggering the risk to Britain to build support for the war on Iran, which began when they and the US launch suprise strikes against the country’s regime last month.
Lord McDonald, the former top civil servant at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said: “Frankly, there's no evidence that they have missiles of this capability apart from an Israeli source. And the Israeli agenda is to get Europe more concerned, more involved, more supportive of what they're doing.”
He added that even if Iran aimed at Diego Garcia “they didn't hit their target. And I think that is an important fact.”
He conceded, however, that it was “true” the UK could be vulnerable to such a strike as we do not have a comprehsive missile defence system.
Former foreign secretary James Cleverly also said it was not useful to “start setting hares running” about Iran’s missile strike capabilities, adding: “the Iranian regime are very, very good at disinformation and they’re very good at twisting anything that might go out on broadcast.”
On Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it was the first time Tehran had launched a long-range missile since the start of the war, and showed it was now capable of reaching cities such as London, Paris or Berlin.
It claimed the missiles could go a distance of around 4,000km, meaning they posed a danger to dozens of countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. In a post on X, it said: “We have been saying it: The Iranian terrorist regime poses a global threat. Now, with missiles that can reach London, Paris or Berlin.”
Diego Garcia is around 3,800km (2,360 miles) away from Iran. The distance between Iran and the UK is around 4,435km (2,750 miles).
As he refused to say how close Iran's long-range missiles had come to reaching Diego Garcia, Mr Reed insisted that to do so would only help Iran.
He also would not be drawn on whether the government backs Donald Trump's fresh 48-hour deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, saying that was a question for the US President.
Early on Sunday, Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social that the country had 48 hours to comply or the US would "obliterate" Iran's power plants.
The Conservatives accused Sir Keir Starmer of putting the UK’s “standing in the world" at risk by "dithering" on Iran.
Sir James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, said Mr Trump had been "deeply unfair" when he accused the UK and European Nato allies of being cowards.
But he added: “However, I don't think it has been helped by the fact that our prime minister has sat on his hands at a time when the Canadians, a left-of-centre government, were supportive of the action against Iran. Australia, a left-of-centre government, supportive of the action against Iran - so it's not a left-right split. The fact is Keir Starmer was equivocal, he was dithering, he was undecided and that, I fear, has undermined our standing in the world."
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