Iran has considered targeting US and British military assets in Europe, including Cyprus, if Washington escalates its conflict with Tehran, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people close to the Iranian regime.
According to the FT, Iranian forces have assessed options for striking US military targets in south-eastern Europe as part of preparations for a possible renewed American offensive.
Two people described by the newspaper as regime insiders said Bulgaria was among the countries considered, after Sofia approved the use of Bezmer air base by US refuelling aircraft last month.
One of the insiders told the FT that Cyprus was also among potential targets for retaliation.
RAF Akrotiri was struck by a drone in March during the conflict with Iran. Western officials said at the time that they suspected the drone was Iranian-made, with reports stating that it contained Russian technology, but had been launched by one of Tehran’s regional proxies rather than directly by Iran.
The latest report comes after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned last month that British military facilities used to support American attacks against Iran could be considered legitimate targets.
“Any base that is used to launch an attack on Iranian territory will be considered a legitimate target,” the IRGC said, according to the FT.
The newspaper reported that Tehran’s response would depend on the scale of any future US military action.
One Iranian insider said preparations were under way for a plan that could broaden the geographical scope of the conflict if US President Donald Trump followed through on previous threats to attack Iranian infrastructure.
A second insider told the FT that Iran would place “no limits” on its response if it believed Washington had gone too far.
“Should the US go too far, Iran will defend itself at any price, go beyond the region and hit Europe too,” they told FT.
The FT said the discussions reflected an increasingly defiant mood in Tehran, where figures within the regime now regard another round of fighting as increasingly likely.
Meanwhile the Hellenic Navy frigate Nikiforos Fokas has replaced the Elli after the latter completed an almost 100-day deployment as part of Greece’s contribution to Cyprus’ defence.
Read more via The Financial Times
