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Iran has strongly denied allegations of launching a missile attack on a joint US-UK military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the claim as an 'Israeli false flag' attack, accusing Israel of spreading disinformation. The denial comes after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated that the alliance could not confirm Israel's claim that the projectiles used were Iranian intercontinental ballistic missiles. This development has raised questions about the credibility of Israel's allegations and the potential motives behind them. Iran's Foreign Affairs spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, wrote on X that the accusations reflected a pattern of 'disinformation' and criticized NATO's support for the US and Israel. He emphasized that the world has grown tired of 'false flag' storylines, suggesting that such claims are becoming increasingly discredited. Earlier, US media outlets reported that missiles were launched between Thursday night and Friday morning but failed to hit the Diego Garcia base. If Iran were confirmed to be behind the attacks, it would imply that it possesses ballistic missiles with a range of over 4,000km, capable of reaching as far as London. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had previously stated that Iran had intentionally limited its missile range to below 2,000km to avoid being perceived as a threat by other countries. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned what she called 'reckless Iranian threats' but emphasized that London would not be drawn into a wider conflict in the Middle East. The UK-US military airbase on Diego Garcia is home to nearly 2,500 mostly American personnel and has supported various US military operations over the years. Israel's military chief, Eyal Zamir, claimed that Iran used a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 4,000km to target the base. Israel has long considered Iran's missile and nuclear programs a threat and has lobbied the US for military intervention.

The US and Iran have been engaged in secretive backchannel talks, mediated by countries such as Egypt, Pakistan, and Oman, in an effort to prevent further escalation of the conflict in the region. The talks, which were denied by Iran initially, may lead to a resolution, but the path forward remains uncertain.According to reports, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have been in communication, with the Egyptian Foreign Ministry tweeting that conversations were underway on Sunday, 24 hours before Donald Trump's deadline to start attacking Iran's energy infrastructure.The talks have been chaotic, with multiple mediators jostling for the title of peacemaker in chief. Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, spoke with Trump on Sunday, while Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday.Iran's Foreign Ministry initially denied any talks had taken place, saying: “There is no negotiation whatsoever between Tehran and Washington.” However, the ministry later opened up, with spokesperson Esmail Baghaei saying that messages had been exchanged through friendly countries, indicating America's request for negotiations to end the war.The talks may yield a complete and total resolution in the war, according to Trump, who announced that he was holding off from attacking Iran's energy infrastructure due to the “very good and productive conversations” that had been held with Iran.A 15-point deal has been proposed, including joint control of the strait of Hormuz, no nuclear bombs, and no enrichment of uranium. However, Iran's willingness to agree to abandon its right to enrich uranium remains a major sticking point.If talks fail, Trump warned: “We'll just keep bombing our little hearts out.”