Military commanders in the Iranian armed forces are urging Iran to strike the Diego Garcia military base, situated on Great Britain’s Chagos Islands in the Central Indian Ocean, after President Trump deployed American bombers there.
An Iranian official says the country’s military is “locked and loaded” for a strike on the island base, where at least three B-2 Spirit stealth bombers were delivered last week. The bombers carry a payload of weapons that can weigh up to 40,000 pounds and have a range of more than 7,000 miles.
“Top commanders are being urged to launch preemptive strikes on the island and its base if Trump’s threats have become more serious,” an Iranian official informed The Telegraph. “Discussions about the island have intensified since the Americans deployed bombers there. … Some are suggesting that missiles be fired towards the island, not with the intent to hit anything, but to fall into the water to send a clear message to the Americans that we are serious.”
“The response to Trump’s threats should be action, not words – every base in the region is within range of our missiles,” he continued. “The missiles are locked and loaded, ready to target any area from which Iran could be threatened, whether from Diego Garcia or Bahrain. Commanders have been instructed to ensure that all missile launchers are prepared and that nuclear sites are well protected. They are bracing for an all-out war, with everything in place for when Trump attacks.”
Satellite images show that the United States delivered a significant amount of weaponry to the island.
“A satellite image from Planet Labs taken today that TWZ has reviewed shows six B-2s, as well as six other large aircraft that could include tankers, cargo planes, and other types, parked in the open at the airfield on Diego Garcia,” The War Zone reported on Tuesday. “There are still-unconfirmed reports that seven Spirits may now be at Diego Garcia. The Air Force only has 20 of the stealth bombers in total, meaning that somewhere between 20 and 35 percent of the entire fleet is now forward-deployed in the Indian Ocean.”
Trump has said he’d prefer a deal to a military strike.
“I would rather negotiate a deal,” President Trump said in early March. “I’m not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily. But the time is happening now. The time is coming up. Something’s going to happen one way or the other. I hope that Iran and I’ve written them a letter saying, I hope you’re going to negotiate, because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing for them.”
On Sunday, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, rejected direct negotiations with the United States, prompting the State Department to reply, “President Trump has been clear: the United States cannot allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.” On Monday, Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared, “The enmity from the US and Israel has always been there. They threaten to attack us, which we don’t think is very probable, but if they commit any mischief, they will surely receive a strong reciprocal blow.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh added, “The Americans have at least 10 bases in the region, around Iran, with more than 50,000 troops – this means they are sitting in a glass house. Someone sitting in a glass house does not throw stones at others.”
