A senior British minister said warnings about Iran developing missiles capable of reaching Europe are exaggerated and that the UK has the military capability to protect itself, after Israel claimed Tehran had fired its first long-range missile since the war began in an interview with the BBC on March 22. 

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said there was "no specific assessment that the Iranians are targeting the UK or even could, if they wanted to." He told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg: "We have the finest military in the world. We are perfectly capable of protecting this country."

Trump has made a series of increasingly pointed criticisms of the British government in 2026, largely centred on the UK's cautious stance towards the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The reassurance came after the Israeli Defence Forces claimed Iran had fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, the joint US-UK military base in the Chagos Islands roughly 3,800 kilometres from Iran. One missile was intercepted by a US warship. The other failed in flight.

In response, Iran denied the launch came from their territory and suggested other parties were launching the missiles, stopping short of saying it was a false flag. 

The UK government has sought to distance itself from the wider war on Iran by the US and Israel, along with other European countries, including France and Spain.

Reed refused to say whether London backed Trump's 48-hour ultimatum for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. "I think you need to ask President Trump about the things that President Trump is talking about," he said.

The RAF has deployed Typhoon and F-35 aircraft in defensive operations over the Persian Gulf since the war began, and British counter-drone units have intercepted Iranian drones in the region.

During an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on March 3, Trump said repeatedly that he was "not happy with the UK" and compared Starmer unfavourably to wartime leaders, stating that the prime minister was not "Winston Churchill."

After the Ministry of Defence placed HMS Prince of Wales on high readiness, Trump posted on Truth Social, referring to the UK as a "once great ally" and declaring the US did not need British aircraft carriers, adding that the UK was trying to join the war after it had already been won.