A decision by Iran to fire a ballistic missile towards western Europe would leave Britain and its Nato allies barely 20 minutes in which to trigger a multi-layered air defence system designed to intercept a projectile before it could reach its target.
Tehran’s attempt in recent days to target the US-UK airbase on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean – some 2,300 miles from Iran – with two ballistic missiles has triggered warnings that the Islamic Republic is likely to have weaponry capable of striking London, Paris or Berlin.
Any such move would amount to a dramatic raising of the geopolitical stakes by the Iranian regime, not least by making it likely that any targeted state would be brought into the American-led bombing campaign against Tehran.
Shorts
But a ballistic missile attack targeting the UK would also represent a critical test for the air defence systems put in place by both Britain and the Nato alliance to neutralise what military planners increasingly see as one of the most plausible threats to Europe – an aerial bombardment using missiles and drones – from Russia or other members of the so-called CRINK alliance involving China, Iran and North Korea.
