News blog about the war in the Middle East
Iran attacks US military base in Indian Ocean
Updated March 21, 2026 – 8:46 a.mReading time: 24 minutes
Iran attacks a US military base. The US is suspending sanctions against Iran. All developments in the news blog.
According to US media reports, Iran has attacked a military base shared by Britain and the US in the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean. The Islamic Republic attacked the base on the island of Diego Garcia with ballistic missiles on Friday morning (local time), as reported by the Wall Street Journal and the broadcaster CNN, citing senior US officials.
Iran fired two medium-range missiles at the base, but neither hit the facility. There was initially no official confirmation from the British or US governments.
According to the Wall Street Journal, one missile failed during the flight while a US warship fired an interceptor missile at the other. As the newspaper further reports, it is unclear whether the launch of the second rocket was successful. The newspaper left it unclear exactly when the attack took place.
The US government has loaned 45.2 million barrels of crude oil from the strategic reserve to energy companies to curb high oil prices. Companies receiving oil include BP, Shell, Marathon Petroleum and Vitol, the Energy Department said. The amount is the first tranche and represents 52 percent of the release of up to 86 million barrels announced by the government last week. In total, the USA plans to make 172 million barrels available this year and next year.
The oil is part of a release agreed with the International Energy Agency (IEA). The companies involved must later return the oil in the form of additional crude oil with a surcharge of up to 22 percent. The Iran war has caused oil prices to rise sharply.
According to President Donald Trump, the USA is considering scaling back its attacks in Iran, but at the same time, according to US media reports, it is sending thousands more soldiers to the region. The USA is on the verge of achieving its own goals in the war, Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform. He described NATO allies as “cowards” because they did not help the US secure the Strait of Hormuz.
