LONDON, March 22 (Reuters) – British cabinet minister Steve Reed said on Sunday that there was no assessment that backed claims Iran is planning to strike Europe with ballistic missiles, or that it even has the capacity to do so.
On Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces posted on social media that Iran has missiles “that can reach London, Paris or Berlin”.
“There is no assessment to substantiate what’s being said,” British Housing Secretary Reed told the BBC.
“I’m not aware of any assessment at all that they are even trying to target Europe, let alone that they could if they tried.”
In a separate interview with Sky News, Reed said that U.S. President Trump spoke for himself when he threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if Tehran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
Asked to define Britain’s position on Trump’s deadline, Reed said: “The U.S. president is perfectly capable of speaking for himself and defending what it is that he’s saying.”
“We’re not going to be dragged into the war, but we will protect our own interests in the region. We will work with our allies to de-escalate the situation.”
(Reporting by Andy Bruce; Editing by Michael Perry, Kirsten Donovan)
