Nato ready to defend allies as Iran weighs strikes on US military targets in Europe

Dubai: Nato says it is ready to defend allied territory against any Iranian threat as reports that Tehran has considered striking US military facilities in Europe raise fears that the Middle East war could spread beyond the region.

The warning follows a Financial Times report that Iranian forces have assessed possible attacks on US military assets in southeastern Europe if President Donald Trump escalates the war by launching renewed attacks on Iranian infrastructure.

A Nato representative, responding to the report, said the alliance remained prepared to protect its members and counter potential missile threats.

Nato stressed that its strengthened deterrence and air-defence capabilities would allow it to respond to threats against allied territory and that it would continue taking the steps necessary to defend its members.

Iran has not publicly confirmed plans to attack targets in Europe.

But two people familiar with Iranian thinking told the Financial Times that Tehran had examined options for expanding the conflict if Washington launched a new offensive.

Among the locations considered were US military assets in Bulgaria, according to the FT.

Bulgaria last month allowed the United States to use Bezmer Air Base for refuelling operations involving eight Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers and around 250 personnel.

Cyprus was also identified as a potential target, according to the FT. A British military base on the island was struck by a drone in March — the first attack on the facility during the war — demonstrating that the conflict has already reached a European-linked military installation.

A British military base in Cyprus was struck by a drone in March, the first such attack on the facility during the war and a sign of the conflict’s potential to reach beyond the Middle East.

Iranian forces have also examined the possibility of targeting subsea fibre-optic cables in the Strait of Hormuz if the conflict intensifies, according to the FT.

One person familiar with Tehran’s thinking said Iran was preparing options to broaden the war if Trump followed through on threats to attack Iranian infrastructure.

Another said Tehran could place “no limits” on its response to further US military action.

The warning follows Iran’s demonstration that it can strike targets considerably farther from its borders.

An Iranian attack on a US base in Jordan last month killed three American service members. People familiar with Iranian assessments described it to the FT as Tehran’s most accurate long-range strike of the conflict.

“This was also a message to Europe: It can receive missiles, so it should know where it should stand in this war,” one of the people told the newspaper.

“A very big mistake, such as hitting our infrastructure, could make the war go beyond the region and reach Europe.”

Military analysts cited by the FT said Iran could potentially reach US assets in southern and southeastern Europe using medium-range ballistic missiles, although questions remain over the accuracy of those weapons and the size of Tehran’s remaining stockpile of longer-range missiles after months of war.

The report comes as Tehran publicly adopts increasingly aggressive language.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran had decided to move from a defensive position to a “fully offensive” military posture, amid the continuing US naval blockade and deadlocked efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The apparent shift has raised the stakes at a time when Trump has halted US talks with Tehran and Washington is preparing to intensify economic pressure.

Iran’s recent elevation of hardliners to senior security and military positions has also reinforced expectations in Tehran that another major phase of fighting may be approaching, according to the FT.

One person cited by the newspaper pointed to Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran’s chief negotiator, and security chief Mohsen Rezaei as symbols of the choice Iran wants to present to Washington.

The message, the person said, was that if Washington could not reach an agreement with Ghalibaf, it would have to deal with Rezaei.

The alliance’s response makes clear that, while the reported Iranian plans remain contingency options rather than confirmed attack orders, Nato is treating the possibility of the conflict spilling into Europe seriously.