According to a Financial Times report citing sources familiar with the matter, Iran has considered possible strikes on U.S. military facilities in Europe, such as in Bulgaria, where American refuelling planes received access to the Bezmer Air Base last month, if President Donald Trump broadens the current conflict.
The sources indicated that Cyprus, the location of a recent drone strike against a British base, is also under consideration if the U.S. launches another offensive, while the possibility also emerged of a hit on subsea fibre-optic cables in the Strait of Hormuz.
This planning reflects a growing sense among Iranian authorities that a return to war is imminent. Diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remain deadlocked, and last week, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei appointed more hardline figures to high-level security and military positions.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that there are currently no active or planned discussions with Iran.
Military leaders, including top officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have warned they would expand their focus in any renewed conflict to encompass U.S. assets and infrastructure outside the Middle East, reaching into Europe. Last month, Iranian officials warned the United Kingdom that any base used for attacks on Iran would be designated a legitimate target.
Sidharth Kaushal, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute in London, assessed the risk of Iranian missile attacks on European targets as credible but constrained. While Iran’s medium-range ballistic missiles can reach southern and south-eastern Europe, their effectiveness at greater distances remains questionable.
According to the FT report, Iran’s actual response would be determined by U.S. actions. One source emphasized there would be no restrictions on Iran’s retaliation if the U.S. pursued further aggression.
