According to a senior Iranian official who spoke recently with The Telegraph, top military commanders in Iran’s Armed Forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are being urged to prepare a “preemptive strike” using long-range ballistic missiles against the U.S-U.K. joint base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, in an attempt to deter U.S. President Donald J. Trump from ordering major strikes against Iran.

This follows the arrival of 6-9 B-2 “Spirit” Long-Range Strategic Stealth Bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia last week, a little more than 2,000 miles from Iran. Another Iranian official further added to the claims of a possible preemptive strike against the island, “Some are suggesting that missiles be fired towards the island, not with the intent to hit anything, but to fall into the water to send a clear message to the Americans that we are serious.”