"Iran Considered Targeting US Military Assets in Europe if US Expands War"

Iran considered attacking U.S. military assets in Europe beyond the Middle East if the U.S. Donald Trump administration expanded the war, the British daily Financial Times reported on the 18th local time.

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

Cyprus, where a British military base is located, was also included as a potential target.

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

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

One official stated that if President Trump carries out his previous threats to attack Iranian infrastructure, the Iranian regime is preparing plans to escalate the armed conflict.

Another official 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."

Such threats reflect a hardline sentiment within the Iranian regime, with many officials viewing the resumption of war not as a possibility but as a matter of when, the newspaper reported.

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 existing strategy of attacking U.S. assets in the Middle East to targets much further away.

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

Indeed, Iran has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to attack long-range targets.

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

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

However, evaluations also 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, "While Iran could position medium-range ballistic missiles to target U.S. assets in southern and southeastern Europe, delivering a practical strike becomes more difficult as the range increases."

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※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.