Iran threatens to strike US bases as far away as Europe
Tehran warns it would target US facilities outside Middle East if used to bomb Islamic Republic
Quick Look
- Iran is threatening to strike US military bases in Europe and elsewhere outside the Middle East if they are used to bomb the Islamic Republic, according to Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezai.
- This warning comes after the indictment in the United States of three “Iranian agents” for a planned attack near a British air base, while Washington adopts a more conciliatory tone.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The conflict was triggered at the end of February by an Israeli-American offensive. At the end of September, an advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had already mentioned the extension of the front to the Indian Ocean, where the American-British strategic base of Diego Garcia is located. Three men presented as “Iranian agents” were indicted by American justice for a planned terrorist attack in September near a British air base used by the United States to carry out attacks against Iran.
Could Iran extend the war to the borders of Germany or Italy? Tehran is in any case brandishing this threat. The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezai, warned that his country would strike US military bases outside the Middle East, including in Europe, if they were used to bomb the Islamic Republic.
“If American planes take off from an American military base, even one located in a European country or another remote region, to bomb Iran, we will strike these bases,” he said in an interview broadcast Wednesday on the Lebanese channel Al-Mayadeen. The response would target “the most distant” US installations, including those that Iran has not yet attacked, he added.
A threat that goes beyond the Middle East
This statement is part of a series of warnings from Tehran against an extension of the conflict, triggered at the end of February by an Israeli-American offensive. At the end of September, an advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had already raised the possibility that “the front would extend [...] to the Indian Ocean”, where the American-British strategic base of Diego Garcia is located, nearly 4,000 kilometers from the Iranian coast.
The new threat also comes the day after the indictment by the American courts of three men presented as “Iranian agents”. They are suspected of having participated in a “planned terrorist attack” in September near a British air base used by the United States to carry out attacks against Iran.
Washington more conciliatory
For their part, the United States displays a more conciliatory tone. On Tuesday, the head of American diplomacy, Marco Rubio, estimated that there was “no need, at this time” for a major military operation against Tehran, affirming that the economic pressure exerted on the country was “devastating”. The day before, Donald Trump had also judged a resumption of strikes “unlikely”, citing “positive momentum” in the negotiations.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The United States will maintain economic pressure on Iran without an immediate major military operation
Likely · Within weeks
Iran will maintain its threat to target US bases outside the Middle East if its territory is bombed
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Which specific US bases in Europe could be targeted?
- What evidence does the indictment of the three “Iranian agents” rely on?
- What is the exact position of the British authorities regarding these threats?
- Will negotiations between Iran and the United States continue despite these declarations?
