The atoll of Diego Garcia serves as a critical logistics and power projection hub for the United States and the United Kingdom. The island enables rapid deployment of bombers, refueling aircraft, and naval assets across the Middle East and South Asia.

Although not a direct turning point in the power balance, the March 20, 2026 attack on Diego Garcia did serve as an alert to the world that the IRGC can attack places as far away as Europe and any city within a 4,000-kilometer or 2,500-mile radius. However, one missile suffered an in-flight failure and crashed, while the other one was intercepted by a U.S. warship and was shot down (https://www.hudson.org/defense-strategy/irans-attempted-strike-diego-garcia-emerging-strategic-threat-can-kasapoglu).

The IRGC stated their arsenal can in no way reach a location past 2,000 kilometers; this turns the tide into an attack and full dismantlement of the IRGC. It has been brought to light that Iran’s arsenal of weapons is more advanced than once thought. That being said, their longest-range missiles, the Khorramshahr-4, have a range of 2,000 kilometers, while the Soumar and Hoveyzeh have an estimated range of 2,000 and 3,000 kilometers (https://missilethreat.csis.org/country/iran/).

Moreover, their missile program has quickly evolved in recent years, as improvements in range, precision, and survivability have made their missiles more powerful. Throughout the IRGC-Israel War, the opposition has continuously launched short-and long-range missiles to the Gulf region, U.S. military bases, the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, as well as Israel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_attacks_during_the_2026_Iran_war).

The recent attack on the Diego Garcia base lies in the IRGC’s demonstration to threaten key military assets far away from Iran. Overall, the IRGC put the word out that they are capable of attacking any target surrounding Iran, projecting its power across continents.