Please don't panic! Minister insists UK CAN stop Iranian missiles despite alarm over lack of defences… and no need for fuel rationing 'as it stands' https://t.co/ju0DVCSzXU
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) March 22, 2026
A Cabinet minister tried to cool alarm about Iran’s ability to hit the UK with long-range missiles today.
Steve Reed insisted the government is ‘perfectly capable’ of defending the country, following signs Tehran can fire ballistic missiles much further than previously believed.
The Communities Secretary also played down the need for fuel rationing as the Middle East crisis escalates, although he admitted there were ‘contingency plans’.
The appeal for calm came after Iran launched an attack on Diego Garcia, the joint US-UK base in the Indian Ocean.
Although neither missile hit the target, the distance of 2,360 miles was well beyond the 1,240 miles that had been regarded as the outer limit of the regime’s reach.
Israel pointed out that Paris, 2,609 miles away, and even London – 2,750 miles – are potentially within Iran’s range. Some strategists fear the country can use its Simorgh space launch technology to extend its reach.
In a ballistic attack, defence experts say Britain would be forced to rely on American SM-3 defence systems stationed across Eastern Europe, or the Patriot missiles used by the Germans, to intercept rockets.