UK defense chief dismisses Iranian threat to London, cites NATO readiness

UK Defense Secretary John Healey pushed back Thursday against Israeli claims that Tehran has the capability to target European capitals, stating there is "no assessment of Iranian plans to strike London." His remarks aimed to reassure the British public amid escalating Middle East tensions.

No immediate threat

Speaking to Sky News, Healey said there was no intelligence indicating any planned attack on the UK, adding that Britain possesses the "resources and the alliances in place" to defend itself. "We do that not just because we've got first-class forces, but we have an alliance with 31 other NATO nations," he said. "It's together that we defend NATO and British airspace, NATO and the British homeland."

Defense of military posture

Healey also defended the government's response despite criticism over the time taken to deploy a Royal Navy ship to the Eastern Mediterranean and the limited number of UK forces in the region. "I think the actions speak for themselves. I'm proud of the readiness. I'm proud of the response of our armed forces," he said, noting that British pilots have been flying defensive missions "to protect our lives and protect our own people from day one."

Criticism of past underfunding

Asked whether there had been shortcomings in military planning, Healey pointed to years of underinvestment. "You can't make good 14 years of underfunding and hollowing out overnight," he said, implicitly criticizing the previous Conservative government. "But we're beginning to fix that." His comments come amid the ongoing US-Israeli offensive against Iran launched Feb. 28, which has killed more than 1,340 people and prompted Iranian retaliation across the region.