Iran weighs strikes on US military assets in Europe if Washington escalates conflict - report

Iran has explored options for striking US military assets in Europe if President Donald Trump orders a renewed escalation against the Islamic Republic, the Financial Times reported, citing people close to the Iranian regime.

According to the report, Iranian forces have assessed potential attacks on American military assets in southeastern Europe, including in Bulgaria. Sofia recently authorized US refueling aircraft to operate from the Bezmer air base, potentially increasing the facility's strategic importance to Washington.

Cyprus has also been considered as a possible target in the event of further US military action, one person familiar with Tehran's deliberations told the FT. The island hosts British military facilities, one of which was targeted by a drone earlier this year.

Iranian planners have also examined ways to disrupt subsea fiber-optic cables running through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the report. Damage to the cables could affect critical communications infrastructure passing through one of the world's most strategically important waterways.

The reported contingency planning comes as Tehran considers how it could raise the costs for Washington if the conflict expands beyond its current scope. The sources stressed that the scale and nature of any Iranian retaliation would depend on the actions taken by the United States.

One person told the FT that Tehran was developing options for widening the conflict if Trump followed through on previous threats to strike Iranian infrastructure in response to attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Another said Iran could extend its retaliation beyond the Middle East if it faced a major new US offensive.