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Iran ready to strike Europe if Trump escalates war

2026-08-19 12:56:26Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Iran is considering the possibility of striking US military targets in Europe if President Donald Trump orders a new escalation of the conflict, according to sources close to the Iranian regime cited by the Financial Times.

According to two people close to the regime, Iranian forces have analyzed the possibility of attacks on American assets in Southeast European countries, including Bulgaria, which last month approved the use of the Bezmer air base for American refueling planes.

One of the sources said that possible revenge scenarios also include Cyprus, where a British military base was hit by a drone in March.

Tehran threatens to expand the conflict

According to Financial Times sources, the Iranian military has also considered the possibility of attacks on underwater fiber optic cables in the Strait of Hormuz, in the event of a new escalation.

These developments come in an increasingly tense climate in Tehran, where part of the regime is considering the resumption of war with the US as a matter of time.

The situation has been further complicated by the strengthening of the conservative wing in the Iranian security and military structures. Meanwhile, Trump declared on Tuesday that there are no talks or negotiations planned with Tehran.

The Revolutionary Guard and other Iranian military commanders have warned that in a new large-scale conflict, Tehran could expand its targets beyond American bases and infrastructure in the Middle East.

Europe could become part of the conflict

According to one of the sources, if the US strikes Iranian infrastructure, Tehran's response could extend beyond the Middle East.

"Iran will defend itself at all costs," the source said, warning that a major escalation could take the conflict all the way to Europe.

Experts, however, estimate that Iran's capabilities to strike targets at long distances are real, but limited. According to researcher Sidharth Kaushal of the Royal United Services Institute, Iran could use medium-range ballistic missiles against American targets in Southern and Southeast Europe, but their effectiveness decreases with increasing distance.

Other experts point out that Iran could also use allied groups in the region to carry out indirect attacks, a strategy that Tehran has used for years.

Iran has attempted to strike targets at long distances

Tehran has previously demonstrated its intent to strike targets far from its territory. After the start of the conflict between the US and Israel, Washington accused Iran of launching several missiles at Diego Garcia, a US-British military base in the Indian Ocean, about 4,000 kilometers from Iran. Such missiles did not reach their targets.

In March, Turkey said NATO air defense systems had intercepted several ballistic missiles launched by Iran. Around the same time, a British base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, was hit by a drone that Western officials suspected was Iranian, although the attack could have been carried out by groups allied with Tehran in the region.

According to Iranian sources cited by the Financial Times, an attack last month on a US base in Jordan, which killed three American servicemen, was one of Iran's most precise long-range operations.

Diplomacy in a bind

The new threats come as diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and revive negotiations between Iran and the US have stalled.

A tentative agreement reached in June collapsed last month after Iranian attacks on ships in the strait and mutual accusations of violating the agreement. The sides have since traded blows and the US has reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports.

In Tehran, the strengthening of hardline figures is being seen as a signal that prospects for a long-term deal have faded. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has appointed former Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaei to a top security post.

For the West, the main concern is that a new conflict may no longer remain confined to the Middle East. For Iran, on the other hand, the threat to strike American targets in Europe appears to be being used as a means of deterrence and pressure on Washington, in an attempt to increase the cost of any future attack.

However, it remains unclear whether Tehran would actually be willing to launch attacks on European territory, as such an action would risk a much broader escalation of the conflict with the US and its allies.


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