Extreme Warning! Iran has explicitly stated that it will not rule out a direct attack on the UK mainland! On July 23, according to foreign media reports, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that the United States yesterday used B-1 "Lancer" aircraft launched from England's Fairford Air Base to strike Iran, and that the U.S. cruise missile stockpiles launched from ships in the Indian Ocean have been completely exhausted. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that Britain has played a significant role historically and was most deeply involved in the recent U.S. attacks on Iran.

Any base used to launch attacks against Iranian territory is a legitimate target. It is clear that Iran’s warning is highly unusual. Iran’s message is unmistakable: Britain is facilitating the U.S. attacks on Iran, and if Britain continues doing so, the UK mainland itself will become a target of Iranian retaliation. Should Britain ignore Iran’s warning, there is a real risk that Iran might actually launch an attack on the UK mainland. In that case, NATO Article Five could very well be triggered.

NATO Article Five states clearly that an armed attack against one or more of the NATO member states shall be considered an attack against them all. In the event of an armed attack, members have the right to take any action they deem necessary to assist the victim state, including the use of force. Of course, in reality, whether Iran can directly strike the UK mainland with missiles remains questionable. In fact, the straight-line distance between the UK mainland and Iran is about 4,200 kilometers, meaning Iran’s missiles would need a range of at least around 4,500 kilometers to effectively reach the UK.

In March this year, Iran fired two missiles targeting the Diego Garcia base, located 3,800 kilometers away—one malfunctioned mid-flight and broke apart, while the other was intercepted by U.S. forces. Technically, it would still be extremely difficult for Iran to strike the UK, bypassing multiple NATO countries’ radar detection systems. Nevertheless, Iran is now issuing a serious warning to Britain, suggesting its own missile technology may have advanced sufficiently to reach the UK. Faced with Iran’s stark warning, Britain may have no choice but to proceed with great caution.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871519625398284/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.