Iran weighs targeting US and British military assets in Europe, FT reports

Nicosia, Cyprus. 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.

The report said Iranian forces had assessed options for strikes against US military targets in south-eastern Europe in preparation for a possible renewed American offensive.

Potential targets

Two people described by the Financial Times 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 newspaper that Cyprus was also among potential targets for retaliation.

Akrotiri incident

RAF Akrotiri was struck by a drone in March during the conflict with Iran. Western officials said at the time they suspected the drone was Iranian-made and contained Russian technology, but had been launched by one of Tehran’s regional proxies rather than directly by Iran.

Iranian warning

The report follows a warning last month by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that British military facilities used to support American attacks against Iran could be regarded as 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 Financial Times.

Response to future action

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 said Iran would place “no limits” on its response if it believed Washington had gone too far.