Iran Considered Striking U.S. Assets in Europe If War Expands: FT

Iran considered targeting U.S. assets in Europe beyond the Middle East if the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump expands the war, the British daily Financial Times (FT) reported on the 18th (local time).

According to two insiders within the Iranian regime cited by the FT, Iranian military authorities evaluated options to strike U.S. assets in Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria, which authorized the U.S. military to use its air bases for refueling aircraft last month.

Cyprus, which hosts British military bases, was also included as a potential target.

The British Akrotiri Air Base in Cyprus was targeted by an Iranian-made drone in early March.

Additionally, the Iranian military reportedly reviewed a separate plan to attack submarine fiber-optic cables in the Strait of Hormuz in preparation for an escalation scenario.

Sources said that whether Iran will retaliate depends on U.S. actions.

One source stated that if President Trump carries out previous threats to strike Iranian infrastructure, the Iranian regime is preparing plans to widen the armed conflict.

Another source said, "If the U.S. crosses the line, Iran will defend itself by any means necessary and strike beyond the Middle East, all the way to Europe."

The FT reported that these threats reflect a hardline atmosphere within the Iranian regime, with many officials viewing the resumption of war not as a possibility, but as a matter of when.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and several military leadership figures have also warned that if a new all-out war breaks out, Iran will move beyond its traditional strategy of targeting U.S. assets within the Middle East to targets farther away.

Regarding the U.S. use of British military bases last month, the IRGC threatened the UK, warning that "any base used to attack Iranian territory will be considered a legitimate target."

In fact, Iran has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to strike long-range targets.

Iran fired ballistic missiles at the joint British-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in March, and a missile launched from Iran was also intercepted in Turkish airspace.

Last month's attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan, considered one of Iran's most precise long-range strikes, demonstrated its capability to hit targets at greater distances.

However, assessments suggest that while Iran's missile threats against long-range targets are real, they have limitations.

Sidharth Kaushal, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in the UK, pointed out, "Iran can deploy medium-range ballistic missiles targeting U.S. assets in southern and southeastern Europe, but as the range increases, delivering a meaningful strike will become difficult."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.